Benjamin Clemens Stone
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Clemens Masterman Stone (1933, Shanghai, China – 1994 March 19, Philippine National Museum) was a British
–American
botanist.
Stone was born in Shanghai, China to a British father, who worked for the government, and an American mother. He graduated from Pomona College
in Claremont, California
and, in 1960, received a Ph.D.
from the University of Hawaii
.
Between 1961 and 1965, he was a faculty biologist at the University of Guam
, where he started an herbarium
, founded the journal Micronesica, and started collecting plant specimens which would form the basis of his book Flora of Guam.
He was a professor of botany at the University of Malaya
in Kuala Lumpur
from 1965 to 1984, during which time he helped to advance the KLU herbarium and the university's Rimba Ilmu Botanical Gardens
.
Stone became the Botany Department Chair of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and participated actively in its Flora of the Philippines Project. For this he spent time with the Bishop Museum
in Honolulu and, later, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas
(BRIT) in Fort Worth.
Stone travelled frequently to the Asian tropics and authored over 300 publications. He was especially noted for his skill in drawing botanical specimens. The pitcher plant Nepenthes benstonei
was named in his honour.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
–American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
botanist.
Stone was born in Shanghai, China to a British father, who worked for the government, and an American mother. He graduated from Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
and, in 1960, received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
.
Between 1961 and 1965, he was a faculty biologist at the University of Guam
University of Guam
University of Guam is a four-year land-grant institution, located in the village of Mangilao on the island of Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean...
, where he started an herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
, founded the journal Micronesica, and started collecting plant specimens which would form the basis of his book Flora of Guam.
He was a professor of botany at the University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
from 1965 to 1984, during which time he helped to advance the KLU herbarium and the university's Rimba Ilmu Botanical Gardens
Rimba Ilmu Botanical Gardens
Rimba Ilmu is a tropical botanical garden set up by the late Professor W.R. Stanton in 1974 on the campus of the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It has over 1600 species of plants occupying over 80 hectares...
.
Stone became the Botany Department Chair of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and participated actively in its Flora of the Philippines Project. For this he spent time with the Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum
The Bishop Museum , is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu...
in Honolulu and, later, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Botanical Research Institute of Texas
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas is a global botanical research institute and learning center in the U.S. that provide accessible resources to both scientific and public communities...
(BRIT) in Fort Worth.
Stone travelled frequently to the Asian tropics and authored over 300 publications. He was especially noted for his skill in drawing botanical specimens. The pitcher plant Nepenthes benstonei
Nepenthes benstonei
Nepenthes benstonei is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, where it occurs at elevations of 450–600 m above sea level...
was named in his honour.
Publications
- The Flora of Namonuito and the Hall Islands (1959)
- The Genus PeleaPeleaPelea may refer to:* A genus of mammals containing a single species, the Grey Rhebok, Pelea capreolus* A genus of Hawaiian plants in the family Rutaceae, now considered synonymous with MelicopePalea spelled with an initial a may refer to:...
A. Gray (Rutaceae; Evodiinae): A Taxonomic Monograph (1969) - Flora of Guam: A Manual for the Identification of the Vascular Plants of the Island (1971)
- The Summit Flora of Gunung Ulu Kali (Pahang, Malaysia) (1981)