John Medley Wood
Encyclopedia
John Medley Wood 1 December 1827 Mansfield
, Nottinghamshire, England - 26 August 1915 Durban
, was a South African botanist who contributed greatly to the knowledge of Natal
ferns, is generally credited with the establishment of sugarcane mosaic virus
immune Uba sugar cane in Natal and for his extensive collection of Natal plants.
to a lawyer James Riddall Wood and Hannah Healy Weaver. His father remarried Mary Haygarth and emigrated to Durban
, and John, who had spent seven years at sea after leaving school, joined him there in 1852. He soon acquired his own property at the mouth of the Umdhloti River north of Durban. Here he experimented with new crop plants. In 1855 he married his stepmother's younger sister Elizabeth Haygarth.
For health reasons he moved further inland to Inanda
in 1868, where he ran a trading store and did some farming. Here he developed an interest in cryptogams
and started collecting ferns, mosses and fungi as well as flowering plants. He began corresponding with M.C. Cooke and Károly Kalchbrenner
, the mycologists
at Kew
and in Budapest, Hungary. The Rev. John Buchanan, a local fern expert who had published a list of Natal ferns in 1875, assisted Medley Wood in that group. In 1880 Anton Rehmann
, the Austrian botanist, visited Natal and took over Wood's collection of mosses.
As a result of his growing interest in botany, he accepted the post of Curator of the Botanic Garden in Durban
in 1882. From his interest in crop plants, he established the suitability of Uba sugar cane (Saccharum sinense L.), for conditions in Natal. During these years he collected plants extensively throughout Natal and exchanged duplicates with foreign herbaria.
He was preparing the seventh volume of his Natal Plants at the time of his death in 1915. He is commemorated in the genera Woodia Schltr., Woodiella Sydow and a large number of species names including that of Encephalartos woodii
Sander, which he first discovered.
He was elected an Associate of the Linnean Society of London
in 1887 and awarded an honorary D.Sc. from Cape Town University in 1913.
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, Nottinghamshire, England - 26 August 1915 Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, was a South African botanist who contributed greatly to the knowledge of Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
ferns, is generally credited with the establishment of sugarcane mosaic virus
Sugarcane mosaic virus
Sugarcane mosaic virus is a plant pathogenic virus of the family Potyviridae.-External links:**...
immune Uba sugar cane in Natal and for his extensive collection of Natal plants.
History
Wood was born in MansfieldMansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
to a lawyer James Riddall Wood and Hannah Healy Weaver. His father remarried Mary Haygarth and emigrated to Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, and John, who had spent seven years at sea after leaving school, joined him there in 1852. He soon acquired his own property at the mouth of the Umdhloti River north of Durban. Here he experimented with new crop plants. In 1855 he married his stepmother's younger sister Elizabeth Haygarth.
For health reasons he moved further inland to Inanda
Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal
Inanda is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that is situated 24 km inland from Durban and now forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolitan Municipality...
in 1868, where he ran a trading store and did some farming. Here he developed an interest in cryptogams
Cryptogams
The name cryptogams is used fairly widely as a phrase of convenience, although regarded as an obsolete taxonomic term. A cryptogam is a plant that reproduces by spores...
and started collecting ferns, mosses and fungi as well as flowering plants. He began corresponding with M.C. Cooke and Károly Kalchbrenner
Károly Kalchbrenner
Károly Kalchbrenner was a Hungarian mycologist. He trained in theology early in life and became a priest in Spišské Vlachy in Northeastern Slovakia. His contributions include the publishing of 60 papers and description of more than 400 fungi from Europe, Asia, Australia and South America...
, the mycologists
Mycology
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals , food and entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or...
at Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
and in Budapest, Hungary. The Rev. John Buchanan, a local fern expert who had published a list of Natal ferns in 1875, assisted Medley Wood in that group. In 1880 Anton Rehmann
Anton Rehmann
Anton Rehmann aka Antoni Rehman was an Austrian geographer, geomorphologist, botanist and explorer. He published mostly in German journals in...
, the Austrian botanist, visited Natal and took over Wood's collection of mosses.
As a result of his growing interest in botany, he accepted the post of Curator of the Botanic Garden in Durban
Durban Botanic Garden
The Durban Botanic Gardens is situated in the City of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is Durban’s oldest public institution and Africa's oldest surviving botanic gardens...
in 1882. From his interest in crop plants, he established the suitability of Uba sugar cane (Saccharum sinense L.), for conditions in Natal. During these years he collected plants extensively throughout Natal and exchanged duplicates with foreign herbaria.
He was preparing the seventh volume of his Natal Plants at the time of his death in 1915. He is commemorated in the genera Woodia Schltr., Woodiella Sydow and a large number of species names including that of Encephalartos woodii
Encephalartos woodii
Wood's Cycad is a cycad in the genus Encephalartos, and is endemic to the Ongoye Forest of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the rarest plants in the world, being extinct in the wild with all specimens being clones of the type...
Sander, which he first discovered.
He was elected an Associate of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
in 1887 and awarded an honorary D.Sc. from Cape Town University in 1913.
Publications
- 1877 A Popular Description of the Natal Ferns
- 1879 The Classification of Ferns
- 1888 An Analytical Key to the Natural Orders and Genera of Natal Indigenous Plants
- 1894 Preliminary Catalogue of Indigenous Natal Plants
- 1898-1912 Natal Plants (6 volumes) (vol 1 with M.S. Evans) (illustrated by Miss F.Lauth and Miss M.Franks)
- 1907 Handbook to the Flora of Natal