John Muirhead Macfarlane
Encyclopedia
John Muirhead Macfarlane (1855–1943) was a Scottish
botanist. He was born and educated in Scotland
, where he occupied several different academic positions at the University of Edinburgh
before emigrating to the United States
to assume a professorial chair at the University of Pennsylvania
in 1893. He held this position until retirement in 1920. He played a leading role in organising and diversifying the botanical garden
of the University of Pennsylvania.
Macfarlane is most well known for his first book, The causes and course of organic evolution. A study in bioenergics (1918). He also wrote many other works including The evolution and distribution of flowering plants (Apocynaceae
, Asclepiadaceae
), The evolution and distribution of fishes, Fishes the source of petroleum, and The quantity and sources of our petroleum supplies.
Macfarlane revised the tropical pitcher plant
family in his 1908 monograph, "Nepenthaceae
".
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
botanist. He was born and educated in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where he occupied several different academic positions at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
before emigrating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to assume a professorial chair at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1893. He held this position until retirement in 1920. He played a leading role in organising and diversifying the botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
of the University of Pennsylvania.
Macfarlane is most well known for his first book, The causes and course of organic evolution. A study in bioenergics (1918). He also wrote many other works including The evolution and distribution of flowering plants (Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
, Asclepiadaceae
Asclepiadaceae
According to APG II, the Asclepiadaceae is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily in the Apocynaceae...
), The evolution and distribution of fishes, Fishes the source of petroleum, and The quantity and sources of our petroleum supplies.
Macfarlane revised the tropical pitcher plant
Nepenthes
The Nepenthes , popularly known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups, are a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises roughly 130 species, numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids...
family in his 1908 monograph, "Nepenthaceae
Nepenthaceae (1908 monograph)
"Nepenthaceae" is a monograph by John Muirhead Macfarlane on the tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. It was published in 1908 in Adolf Engler's Das Pflanzenreich...
".