Robert Harold Compton
Encyclopedia
Robert Harold Compton was a South Africa
n botanist. The Compton Herbarium at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which he founded in Cape Town in 1939, was named in his honour.
He stayed on at Cambridge from 1911-13 as a Demonstrator in Botany, and joined a field expedition to New Caledonia
in 1914, collecting extensively and discovering some new genera and species. While at Cambridge, his main publications were in the area of anatomy and morphology of Gymnosperms, Pteridophytes and Angiosperm seedlings. He enlisted for war service from 1915-18 and arrived in South Africa in March 1919 to become Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch. At the same time he took up the chair of Harold Pearson Professor of Botany at the University of Cape Town
- Harold Pearson was the first Director of Kirstenbosch. Robert Compton held these posts for the next 34 years.
In South Africa his interests were confined to the taxonomy
of South African flora. Most of his publications in this field were in the Journal of South African Botany, a journal which he started in 1935 and edited until his retirement.
On retirement in 1953 he chose to settle in Swaziland
and was commissioned by the Swazi Government to undertake a botanical survey of the country. The results first appeared as An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Swaziland in Journal of South African Botany Suppl. 11 (1976)
and medallist, twice President of the SA Museums Association, and received an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Cape Town in 1968.
He is commemorated in Comptonella Bak.f., Comptonanthus B. Nord, and numerous species names. Most of his New Caledonia specimens are with the British Museum, and his vast South African collection (over 35 000 specimens) is spread between the various herbaria in South Africa.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n botanist. The Compton Herbarium at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which he founded in Cape Town in 1939, was named in his honour.
Career
He attended Cambridge University from 1905 to 1909, attaining a double first class and distinction and later an M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
He stayed on at Cambridge from 1911-13 as a Demonstrator in Botany, and joined a field expedition to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
in 1914, collecting extensively and discovering some new genera and species. While at Cambridge, his main publications were in the area of anatomy and morphology of Gymnosperms, Pteridophytes and Angiosperm seedlings. He enlisted for war service from 1915-18 and arrived in South Africa in March 1919 to become Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch. At the same time he took up the chair of Harold Pearson Professor of Botany at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
- Harold Pearson was the first Director of Kirstenbosch. Robert Compton held these posts for the next 34 years.
In South Africa his interests were confined to the taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of South African flora. Most of his publications in this field were in the Journal of South African Botany, a journal which he started in 1935 and edited until his retirement.
On retirement in 1953 he chose to settle in Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
and was commissioned by the Swazi Government to undertake a botanical survey of the country. The results first appeared as An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Swaziland in Journal of South African Botany Suppl. 11 (1976)
Honours and awards
He was President of the SA Association for the Advancement of Science in 1957, receiving their medal and a grant. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of SA, an Hon. Fellow of the Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
and medallist, twice President of the SA Museums Association, and received an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Cape Town in 1968.
He is commemorated in Comptonella Bak.f., Comptonanthus B. Nord, and numerous species names. Most of his New Caledonia specimens are with the British Museum, and his vast South African collection (over 35 000 specimens) is spread between the various herbaria in South Africa.
Publications
- Wild Flowers of the Cape of Good Hope - Elsie Garrett Rice and Robert Harold Compton (Kirstenbosch: The Botanical Society of South Africa, 1950)
- Garden for A Nation (Kirstenbosch: Cape Town: Tafelberg, 1965)
- Flora of Swaziland (1976)
- Our South African flora (Cape Times, Cape Town 1930s)