Edit History
Degener, Otto (1899-1988)
Date Updated: 19 April 2013
Herbarium
Natural History Museum (BM)
Collection
Plant Collectors
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Contributor
Natural History Museum (BM)
First name(s)
Otto
Last name
Degener
Initials
O.
Life Dates
1899 - 1988
Collecting Dates
1927 - 1968
Specification
Plant collector
Groups collected
Algae
Pteridophytes
Spermatophytes
Organisation(s)
A, B, BH, BISH, BM, CAS, CU (currently BH), F, G, GB, GH, JE, K, L, M, MASS, MICH, MIN, MO, NY, P, S, SI, UARK, US, W, WELC
Countries
Caribbean region: BahamasAtlantic region: BermudaPacific region: FijiCentral American Continent: MexicoNorth American region: United States
Associate(s)
Bertram, R. (fl. 1948)
Bush, W. (fl. 1931-1937)
Clay, Horace Freestone (1918-1988)
Degener, I. (1924-) (co-collector, wife)
Fleming, W. (fl. 1959) (co-collector)
Foster, A. (fl. 1939) (co-collector)
Greenwell, A.B.H. (1921-1974) (co-collector)
Hansen, H.W. (fl. 1955) (co-collector)
Hirai, W. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
Kai, H.A. (co-collector)
Kepaa, J. (fl. 1940) (co-collector)
Kerr, M.E. (co-collector)
Kruse, F. (-1890) (co-collector)
Kwon, M. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
McCallan, A. (co-collector)
McCallan, Samuel Eugene Alan (1902-) (co-collector)
Murashige, T. (fl. 1949) (co-collector)
Nitta, Y. (fl. 1932) (co-collector)
Ordonez, E. (fl. 1939-1941) (co-collector)
Park, Kwan Kee (1912-) (co-collector)
Piccos (fl. 1968) (co-collector)
Ruhle, G.C. (fl. 1954) (co-collector)
Salucop (fl. 1937) (co-collector)
Shigeura (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Tabualewa, A. (fl. 1940-1941) (assistant, co-collector)
Takamoto, M. (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Topping, David LeRoy (1861-1939) (co-collector)
Wiebke, H. (fl. 1927-1928) (co-collector)
Johnson, Lawrence Alexander Sidney (1925-1997) (co-author)
Bush, W. (fl. 1931-1937)
Clay, Horace Freestone (1918-1988)
Degener, I. (1924-) (co-collector, wife)
Fleming, W. (fl. 1959) (co-collector)
Foster, A. (fl. 1939) (co-collector)
Greenwell, A.B.H. (1921-1974) (co-collector)
Hansen, H.W. (fl. 1955) (co-collector)
Hirai, W. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
Kai, H.A. (co-collector)
Kepaa, J. (fl. 1940) (co-collector)
Kerr, M.E. (co-collector)
Kruse, F. (-1890) (co-collector)
Kwon, M. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
McCallan, A. (co-collector)
McCallan, Samuel Eugene Alan (1902-) (co-collector)
Murashige, T. (fl. 1949) (co-collector)
Nitta, Y. (fl. 1932) (co-collector)
Ordonez, E. (fl. 1939-1941) (co-collector)
Park, Kwan Kee (1912-) (co-collector)
Piccos (fl. 1968) (co-collector)
Ruhle, G.C. (fl. 1954) (co-collector)
Salucop (fl. 1937) (co-collector)
Shigeura (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Tabualewa, A. (fl. 1940-1941) (assistant, co-collector)
Takamoto, M. (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Topping, David LeRoy (1861-1939) (co-collector)
Wiebke, H. (fl. 1927-1928) (co-collector)
Johnson, Lawrence Alexander Sidney (1925-1997) (co-author)
Biography
U.S. botanist and conservationist. Degener was an expert on the flora of Hawaii, where he lived for most of his life. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, he first went to the islands as a tourist after graduating from Massachusetts Agricultural College. Deciding to settle there, in 1922 he gained his masters degree at the University of Hawaii, followed by doctoral work at the University of Massachusetts and Columbia University. He then taught botany at the University of Hawaii (1925-1927) and served as naturalist for the Hawaii National Park. From 1935 onwards he was associated with New York Botanical Gardens as Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany.
Degener authored seven volumes of Flora Hawaiiensis (the first appearing in 1932) and more than 400 other publications. The 1932 fascicle was the first such floristic work on Hawaiian botany since that of William Hillebrand in 1888. Most of Hillbrand's specimens were lost when the Berlin herbarium was destroyed in World War Two. Degener, meanwhile, built up a collection of more than 36,000 plants which still survives. The bulk of these were from his adopted homeland, but he also collected in Fiji (1942), Mexico and the West Indies.
Degener married the grass taxonomist Dr. Isa Hansen, whom he met on a trip to Berlin in 1952. Both he and his wife gave many of their collected specimens to New York Botanical Garden, which honoured Degener with its Distinguished Service Award in 1979. He also received the Linnaeus Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1962) and the Willdenow Medal from the Berlin Botanic Garden (1979). He and his wife were also honoured with a commendation from the Hawaii Senate in recognition of their conservation work. The family Degeneriaceae and the tree Degeneria vitiensis I.W.Bailey & A.C.Sm. (discovered by Degener in Fiji) commemorate him.
Sources:
Anon., 1988, Taxon, 37(2): 509
Biographical Note, Otto Degener Records, Archives and Manuscript Collections at the Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden:
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/libr/finding_guide/degener3.asp.
Degener authored seven volumes of Flora Hawaiiensis (the first appearing in 1932) and more than 400 other publications. The 1932 fascicle was the first such floristic work on Hawaiian botany since that of William Hillebrand in 1888. Most of Hillbrand's specimens were lost when the Berlin herbarium was destroyed in World War Two. Degener, meanwhile, built up a collection of more than 36,000 plants which still survives. The bulk of these were from his adopted homeland, but he also collected in Fiji (1942), Mexico and the West Indies.
Degener married the grass taxonomist Dr. Isa Hansen, whom he met on a trip to Berlin in 1952. Both he and his wife gave many of their collected specimens to New York Botanical Garden, which honoured Degener with its Distinguished Service Award in 1979. He also received the Linnaeus Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1962) and the Willdenow Medal from the Berlin Botanic Garden (1979). He and his wife were also honoured with a commendation from the Hawaii Senate in recognition of their conservation work. The family Degeneriaceae and the tree Degeneria vitiensis I.W.Bailey & A.C.Sm. (discovered by Degener in Fiji) commemorate him.
Sources:
Anon., 1988, Taxon, 37(2): 509
Biographical Note, Otto Degener Records, Archives and Manuscript Collections at the Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden:
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/libr/finding_guide/degener3.asp.
References
Brummitt, R.K. & Powell, C.E., Authors Pl. Names (1992): 160; Chaudhri, M.N., Vegter, H.I. & de Bary, H.A., Index Herb. Coll. I-L (1972): 338; Knobloch, I.W., Phytologia Mem. 6 (1983): 20; Lanjouw, J. & Stafleu, F.A., Index Herb. Coll. A-D (1954): 156; Vegter, H.I., Index Herb. Coll. M (1976): 477; Vegter, H.I., Index Herb. Coll. S (1986): 814; Vegter, H.I., Index Herb. Coll. T-Z (1988): 987;
Date Updated: 19 April 2013
Herbarium
Natural History Museum (BM)
Collection
Plant Collectors
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Contributor
Natural History Museum (BM)
First name(s)
Otto
Last name
Degener
Initials
O.
Life Dates
1899 - 1988
Collecting Dates
1927 - 1968
Specification
Plant collector
Groups collected
Algae
Pteridophytes
Spermatophytes
Organisation(s)
A, B, BH, BISH, BM, CAS, CU (currently BH), F, G, GB, GH, JE, K, L, M, MASS, MICH, MIN, MO, NY, P, S, SI, UARK, US, W, WELC
Countries
Caribbean region: BahamasAtlantic region: BermudaPacific region: FijiCentral American Continent: MexicoNorth American region: United States
Associate(s)
Bertram, R. (fl. 1948)
Bush, W. (fl. 1931-1937)
Clay, Horace Freestone (1918-1988)
Degener, I. (1924-) (co-collector, wife)
Fleming, W. (fl. 1959) (co-collector)
Foster, A. (fl. 1939) (co-collector)
Greenwell, A.B.H. (1921-1974) (co-collector)
Hansen, H.W. (fl. 1955) (co-collector)
Hirai, W. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
Kai, H.A. (co-collector)
Kepaa, J. (fl. 1940) (co-collector)
Kerr, M.E. (co-collector)
Kruse, F. (-1890) (co-collector)
Kwon, M. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
McCallan, A. (co-collector)
McCallan, Samuel Eugene Alan (1902-) (co-collector)
Murashige, T. (fl. 1949) (co-collector)
Nitta, Y. (fl. 1932) (co-collector)
Ordonez, E. (fl. 1939-1941) (co-collector)
Park, Kwan Kee (1912-) (co-collector)
Piccos (fl. 1968) (co-collector)
Ruhle, G.C. (fl. 1954) (co-collector)
Salucop (fl. 1937) (co-collector)
Shigeura (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Tabualewa, A. (fl. 1940-1941) (assistant, co-collector)
Takamoto, M. (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Topping, David LeRoy (1861-1939) (co-collector)
Wiebke, H. (fl. 1927-1928) (co-collector)
Johnson, Lawrence Alexander Sidney (1925-1997) (co-author)
Bush, W. (fl. 1931-1937)
Clay, Horace Freestone (1918-1988)
Degener, I. (1924-) (co-collector, wife)
Fleming, W. (fl. 1959) (co-collector)
Foster, A. (fl. 1939) (co-collector)
Greenwell, A.B.H. (1921-1974) (co-collector)
Hansen, H.W. (fl. 1955) (co-collector)
Hirai, W. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
Kai, H.A. (co-collector)
Kepaa, J. (fl. 1940) (co-collector)
Kerr, M.E. (co-collector)
Kruse, F. (-1890) (co-collector)
Kwon, M. (fl. 1931) (co-collector)
McCallan, A. (co-collector)
McCallan, Samuel Eugene Alan (1902-) (co-collector)
Murashige, T. (fl. 1949) (co-collector)
Nitta, Y. (fl. 1932) (co-collector)
Ordonez, E. (fl. 1939-1941) (co-collector)
Park, Kwan Kee (1912-) (co-collector)
Piccos (fl. 1968) (co-collector)
Ruhle, G.C. (fl. 1954) (co-collector)
Salucop (fl. 1937) (co-collector)
Shigeura (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Tabualewa, A. (fl. 1940-1941) (assistant, co-collector)
Takamoto, M. (fl. 1935) (co-collector)
Topping, David LeRoy (1861-1939) (co-collector)
Wiebke, H. (fl. 1927-1928) (co-collector)
Johnson, Lawrence Alexander Sidney (1925-1997) (co-author)
Biography
U.S. botanist and conservationist. Degener was an expert on the flora of Hawaii, where he lived for most of his life. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, he first went to the islands as a tourist after graduating from Massachusetts Agricultural College. Deciding to settle there, in 1922 he gained his masters degree at the University of Hawaii, followed by doctoral work at the University of Massachusetts and Columbia University. He then taught botany at the University of Hawaii (1925-1927) and served as naturalist for the Hawaii National Park. From 1935 onwards he was associated with New York Botanical Gardens as Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany.
Degener authored seven volumes of Flora Hawaiiensis (the first appearing in 1932) and more than 400 other publications. The 1932 fascicle was the first such floristic work on Hawaiian botany since that of William Hillebrand in 1888. Most of Hillbrand's specimens were lost when the Berlin herbarium was destroyed in World War Two. Degener, meanwhile, built up a collection of more than 36,000 plants which still survives. The bulk of these were from his adopted homeland, but he also collected in Fiji (1942), Mexico and the West Indies.
Degener married the grass taxonomist Dr. Isa Hansen, whom he met on a trip to Berlin in 1952. Both he and his wife gave many of their collected specimens to New York Botanical Garden, which honoured Degener with its Distinguished Service Award in 1979. He also received the Linnaeus Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1962) and the Willdenow Medal from the Berlin Botanic Garden (1979). He and his wife were also honoured with a commendation from the Hawaii Senate in recognition of their conservation work. The family Degeneriaceae and the tree Degeneria vitiensis I.W.Bailey & A.C.Sm. (discovered by Degener in Fiji) commemorate him.
Sources:
Anon., 1988, Taxon, 37(2): 509
Biographical Note, Otto Degener Records, Archives and Manuscript Collections at the Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden:
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/libr/finding_guide/degener3.asp.
Degener authored seven volumes of Flora Hawaiiensis (the first appearing in 1932) and more than 400 other publications. The 1932 fascicle was the first such floristic work on Hawaiian botany since that of William Hillebrand in 1888. Most of Hillbrand's specimens were lost when the Berlin herbarium was destroyed in World War Two. Degener, meanwhile, built up a collection of more than 36,000 plants which still survives. The bulk of these were from his adopted homeland, but he also collected in Fiji (1942), Mexico and the West Indies.
Degener married the grass taxonomist Dr. Isa Hansen, whom he met on a trip to Berlin in 1952. Both he and his wife gave many of their collected specimens to New York Botanical Garden, which honoured Degener with its Distinguished Service Award in 1979. He also received the Linnaeus Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1962) and the Willdenow Medal from the Berlin Botanic Garden (1979). He and his wife were also honoured with a commendation from the Hawaii Senate in recognition of their conservation work. The family Degeneriaceae and the tree Degeneria vitiensis I.W.Bailey & A.C.Sm. (discovered by Degener in Fiji) commemorate him.
Sources:
Anon., 1988, Taxon, 37(2): 509
Biographical Note, Otto Degener Records, Archives and Manuscript Collections at the Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden:
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/libr/finding_guide/degener3.asp.
References
Brummitt, R.K. & Powell, C.E., Authors Pl. Names (1992): 160; Chaudhri, M.N., Vegter, H.I. & de Bary, H.A., Index Herb. Coll. I-L (1972): 338; Knobloch, I.W., Phytologia Mem. 6 (1983): 20; Lanjouw, J. & Stafleu, F.A., Index Herb. Coll. A-D (1954): 156; Vegter, H.I., Index Herb. Coll. M (1976): 477; Vegter, H.I., Index Herb. Coll. S (1986): 814; Vegter, H.I., Index Herb. Coll. T-Z (1988): 987;
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