RobinsonCB

Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

Robinson, Charles Budd

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

Born: 1871, Pictou, Nova Scotia. Died: Dec. 5, 1913, Ambon, Moluccas.

career:

Botanist, educated at Columbia University, where he took his Ph.D.’s degree in 1906; subsequently appointed Assistant Curator of the Herbarium of the N.Y. Botanical Garden. From 1908-11 Botanist in the employ of the Bureau of Science, Manila, P.I.; from Aug. 1911-Dec. 1912 on the staff of the Botanical Garden at New York again and subsequently returning to the Philippines, to enter the employ of the Bureau of Science for a second time. In the first part of 1913 he made the preparations for a planned stay in Ambon, where he was to collect on behalf of Merrill who intended to give a revision of the Rumphian plants. He was murdered on one of his tours to Ambon. He was evidently not murdered by Ambonese, but by ‘binongkos’, a kind of sea gypsies who have some settlements in the Moluccas.

Author of ‘Alabastra Philippinensia’ and many other papers.

Several plants were named in his honour.

Collecting localities:

March 1908-Aug. 1911. Philippines, visiting the island of Polillo (Aug. 1-24, 1909),¹ collecting near Manila etc. in Luzon (1909 or 1910).-1913. After his return from New York, on Mt Maquiling in Luzon. Leaving Manila (June 17) for Singapore; Java: Buitenzorg (end of June-early in July); Bali (July); SW. Celebes: Makassar, and P. Boeton (= Boetoeng) (July); Amboina (= Ambon) (July 15-Dec. 5),²visiting Mt Salahoetoe etc.

collections:

Herb. Manila [PNH]: Philippine plants numbered in the B.S. (cf. sub Bureau of Science) series, and the Ambon collection of c. 1750 nos. Duplicates of the latter collection were distributed by Merrill to various herbaria; Herb. Bog. [BO]; in Herb. Leiden [L] 34 dupl.; in Herb. N.Y. Bot. Gard. [NY]: 524 species of flowering plants and ferns from Ambon (pres. 1918), probably Robinson’s collection; Herb. Kew [K]: duplicates Philippine plants (pres. 1918); U.S. Nat. Herb. Wash. [US]: 316 dupl. Philip. plants, 651 from Ambon and dupl. from the East Indies; Herb. Sydney [NSW]: Philip. plants (pres. 1909) and dupl. Ambon ferns; Herb. Paris [P]: 10 specim. P.I.

In Ambon he was assisted by an Indonesian collector of the Buitenzorg Herbarium, viz Mardjoeki. The collections of Ambon were approximately arranged in 2 groups: 1st those that could definitely be referred to species described by Rumphius, numbering about 600 species, which were to be distributed with special labels giving both the modern binominal and the Rumphian name and reference for each species;³ 2nd those species that were not described by Rumphius, 1142 species.⁴ Some groups of plants were dealt with separately.⁵

literature:

(1) Ch.B. Robinson: ‘Botanical notes upon the island of Polillo’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 6, 1911, p. 185-228).
(2) E.D. Merrill: ‘The botanical exploration of Amboina by the Bureau of Science, Manila’ (Science N.S. 38, 1913, p. 499-502).
(3) E.D. Merrill: ‘An interpretation of Rumphius’ Herbarium Amboinense’ (Bur. Sci. Pub]. 9, 1917, p. 1-595, w. map).
(4) E.D. Merrill: ‘Reliquiae Robinsonianae’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 11, 1916, p. 243-249).
(5) C.R.W.K. van Alderwerelt van Rosenburh: ‘The Amboina Pteridophyta collected by C.B. Robinson’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 11, 1916, p. 101-123, pl. 5-6).
Orchids by J.J. Smith in l.c. 12, 1917, p. 249-262.

biographical data:

Journ. N.Y. Bot. Gard. 15, 1914, p. 106; Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 9, 1914, p. 191-197, incl. bibliogr.; Encyclop. N.I. 3, 1919; Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger, 2nd ed. by Rendle, 1931; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936.

	Career Collecting localities Collections Literature Biographical data
	Robinson, Charles Budd
	(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors) (Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)
	Born: 1871, Pictou, Nova Scotia. Died: Dec. 5, 1913, Ambon, Moluccas.
	career: Botanist, educated at Columbia University, where he took his Ph.D.’s degree in 1906; subsequently appointed Assistant Curator of the Herbarium of the N.Y. Botanical Garden. From 1908-11 Botanist in the employ of the Bureau of Science, Manila, P.I.; from Aug. 1911-Dec. 1912 on the staff of the Botanical Garden at New York again and subsequently returning to the Philippines, to enter the employ of the Bureau of Science for a second time. In the first part of 1913 he made the preparations for a planned stay in Ambon, where he was to collect on behalf of Merrill who intended to give a revision of the Rumphian plants. He was murdered on one of his tours to Ambon. He was evidently not murdered by Ambonese, but by ‘binongkos’, a kind of sea gypsies who have some settlements in the Moluccas. Author of ‘Alabastra Philippinensia’ and many other papers. Several plants were named in his honour.
	Collecting localities: March 1908-Aug. 1911. Philippines, visiting the island of Polillo (Aug. 1-24, 1909),¹ collecting near Manila etc. in Luzon (1909 or 1910).-1913. After his return from New York, on Mt Maquiling in Luzon. Leaving Manila (June 17) for Singapore; Java: Buitenzorg (end of June-early in July); Bali (July); SW. Celebes: Makassar, and P. Boeton (= Boetoeng) (July); Amboina (= Ambon) (July 15-Dec. 5),²visiting Mt Salahoetoe etc.
	collections: Herb. Manila [PNH]: Philippine plants numbered in the B.S. (cf. sub Bureau of Science) series, and the Ambon collection of c. 1750 nos. Duplicates of the latter collection were distributed by Merrill to various herbaria; Herb. Bog. [BO]; in Herb. Leiden [L] 34 dupl.; in Herb. N.Y. Bot. Gard. [NY]: 524 species of flowering plants and ferns from Ambon (pres. 1918), probably Robinson’s collection; Herb. Kew [K]: duplicates Philippine plants (pres. 1918); U.S. Nat. Herb. Wash. [US]: 316 dupl. Philip. plants, 651 from Ambon and dupl. from the East Indies; Herb. Sydney [NSW]: Philip. plants (pres. 1909) and dupl. Ambon ferns; Herb. Paris [P]: 10 specim. P.I. In Ambon he was assisted by an Indonesian collector of the Buitenzorg Herbarium, viz Mardjoeki. The collections of Ambon were approximately arranged in 2 groups: 1st those that could definitely be referred to species described by Rumphius, numbering about 600 species, which were to be distributed with special labels giving both the modern binominal and the Rumphian name and reference for each species;³ 2nd those species that were not described by Rumphius, 1142 species.⁴ Some groups of plants were dealt with separately.⁵
	literature: (1) Ch.B. Robinson: ‘Botanical notes upon the island of Polillo’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 6, 1911, p. 185-228). (2) E.D. Merrill: ‘The botanical exploration of Amboina by the Bureau of Science, Manila’ (Science N.S. 38, 1913, p. 499-502). (3) E.D. Merrill: ‘An interpretation of Rumphius’ Herbarium Amboinense’ (Bur. Sci. Pub]. 9, 1917, p. 1-595, w. map). (4) E.D. Merrill: ‘Reliquiae Robinsonianae’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 11, 1916, p. 243-249). (5) C.R.W.K. van Alderwerelt van Rosenburh: ‘The Amboina Pteridophyta collected by C.B. Robinson’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 11, 1916, p. 101-123, pl. 5-6). Orchids by J.J. Smith in l.c. 12, 1917, p. 249-262.
	biographical data: Journ. N.Y. Bot. Gard. 15, 1914, p. 106; Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 9, 1914, p. 191-197, incl. bibliogr.; Encyclop. N.I. 3, 1919; Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger, 2nd ed. by Rendle, 1931; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936.