André Joseph Guillaume Henri Kostermans
Encyclopedia
Dr. André Joseph Guillaume Henri 'Doc' Kostermans (Purworejo, 1 July 1906 — Jakarta
, 10 July 1994) was a botanist. He was born in Purworejo, Java, Dutch East Indies
, and educated at Utrecht University
, taking his doctoral degree in 1936 with a paper on Surinamese Lauraceae
.
He spent most of his professional life studying the plants of southeastern Asia, settled at Buitenzorg, later Bogor
, Indonesia
. At an early stage in his career he also contributed a number of family treatments to Pulle
's Flora of Suriname. Kostermans was especially interested in Lauraceae
, Malvales (Bombacaceae
and Sterculiaceae
), and Dipterocarpaceae
. In recent years he turned his attention to Asian Anacardiaceae
. He was a productive worker and published extensively on these and other groups.
The genus
Kostermansia
Soegeng, of the family Bombacaceae, and the species Cryptocarya kostermansiana C.K. Allen, were named in his honour.
Kostermans suffered a heart attack in March 1991, but his letter to his friend written in April 1991 stated "some writing (including) putting the finishing touch to a fat manuscript on the Mango
species (69 species) ... If I am lucky I shall have a chance to see it." Kostermans did live to see it published by Academic Press in 1993. He died in Indonesia in 1994.
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, 10 July 1994) was a botanist. He was born in Purworejo, Java, Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, and educated at Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
, taking his doctoral degree in 1936 with a paper on Surinamese Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
.
He spent most of his professional life studying the plants of southeastern Asia, settled at Buitenzorg, later Bogor
Bogor
Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. At an early stage in his career he also contributed a number of family treatments to Pulle
August Adriaan Pulle
August Adrian Pulle was a Dutch professor and botanist. He made important contributions to knowledge of the Flora of Suriname and the island of New Guinea.-Education:...
's Flora of Suriname. Kostermans was especially interested in Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
, Malvales (Bombacaceae
Bombacaceae
Bombacaceae is a family of flowering plants or Angiospermae included within Malvales order. As is true for any botanical name, circumscription and status of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view...
and Sterculiaceae
Sterculiaceae
Sterculiaceae is a botanical name for a group of flowering plants at the rank of family, which is now considered obsolete. As is true for any botanical name, the circumscription, status and placement of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view...
), and Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
. In recent years he turned his attention to Asian Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...
. He was a productive worker and published extensively on these and other groups.
The genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Kostermansia
Kostermansia
Kostermansia is a genus of flowering plant in the Malvaceae family.It contains the following species:* Durian Tuang...
Soegeng, of the family Bombacaceae, and the species Cryptocarya kostermansiana C.K. Allen, were named in his honour.
Kostermans suffered a heart attack in March 1991, but his letter to his friend written in April 1991 stated "some writing (including) putting the finishing touch to a fat manuscript on the Mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
species (69 species) ... If I am lucky I shall have a chance to see it." Kostermans did live to see it published by Academic Press in 1993. He died in Indonesia in 1994.