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Lovis, Professor John Donald
Pessoa · 24 April 1930 - 5 September 2017

Studied botany at the Queen Mary College at the University of London. After graduation, moved to University of Leeds, completed a PhD on Apslenium trichomanes with Prof. Irene Manton. Received a DSIR Postgraduate Fellowship to study in New Zealand for a year where he collected 75% of the native fern speices. He completed his PhD in 1958 and was appointed to a lectureship at the University of Leeds.

Over the next 20 years, Lovis would continue to study the complexities of evolution through hybridisation of Asplenium. He was the first to artificially reconstruct a naturally occurring polyploid fern, and later was able to synthesise a new and artificial alloploid species unknown in the wild. In 1977, published 'Evolutionary patterns and processes in ferns' in Advances in Botanical Research, which summarised all of his cytology work in ferns to date. 1978, he was awarded a degree of Doctor of Science from the University of London for his contributions to the understanding of fern evolution.

1977, Lovis became the Professor and Chair of Botany at University of Canterbury (New Zealand). There he took an interest in fossil botany. He led regular student trips to the Cass field station and other parts of the South Island and collected intensively from the plant groups he was researching or just interested in.

Lovis was a man of many talents and interests. In his younger days quite the athlete in a variety of sports: bowling, cricket, and hockey. Loved learning about wine and ran a wine appreciation courses at Canterbury University's Department of Continuing Education. He loved photography, rugby, classical music, cheese, and Ceylon tea.

After his death in 2017, his daughter donated his whole collection to Te Papa (New Zealand).

Chandra, Subhash
Pessoa · 1943-

Author of "The Ferns of India: Enumeration, Synonyms and Distribution" (2000)

(2026) Manging Director of National Botanical Research Institute, Pteridology Department (Lucknow, India)

Manton, Professor Irene
Pessoa · 17 April 1904 - 13 May 1988

Professor Irene Manton FRS, P-PLS, FRMS, BA, PhD, ScD. Hon. DSc.

Attended Girton College, Cambridge in 1923, which she left as it was unwelcoming to women. Moved on to study at Gustaf Otto Rosenberg in Stockholm. Became a lecturer at teh University of Manchester in 1928. Received her PhD in 1930, with her thesis on Cruciferae.

Manton spent most of her career at the University of Leeds, where she was a Professor of Botany from 1946 until she became Professor Emeritus in 1969. Her work focused on ferns and algae, specifically hybridisation, polyploidy, and apomixis. She also examined chromosomes and evolution.

Irene wrote more that 170 scientific papers, one book (Problems of cytology and evolution in pteridophyta, 1950) and many general articles.

She taught Professor Mary Gibby as an undergraduate at the University of Leeds.

As a woman she set several records including being the first female professor and first female head of a department at Leeds University. She was the first (and so far only) woman president of The Linnean Society of London (1973-1976). Also she and her sister Sidnie are the only sisters as of 2004 to be elected Fellows of the Royal Society.

In 1990, The Linnean Society established the Irene Manton Prize. It was created for best doctoral thesis in botany.


From the Linnean Society:
"Irene was a ‘woman of her time’. Her life (1904–1988) spanned the better part of the
twentieth century. This period was momentous for many reasons. Firstly, there was a major
change in the role of women within the professions in general, and science in particular.
Secondly, with the advent of electron microscopy, a completely new subject was born and
Irene was present at its birth. Thirdly, science was in the process of changing from being a
discipline pursued by individuals to becoming an industry. Irene was one of a select group
of women pioneers who made their way in what had hitherto been a man’s world.

In compiling this biography, I have not changed my opinion that Irene Manton was an
exceptional woman but I have been surprised at the breadth of her intellect and the depth of
her humanity. No period of her life is without interest and I hope that the story that follows
will give insights into her as a person, into the work that she carried out, and into how and
why she managed to make the transition from being a ‘classical’ fern cytologist to being a
world leader in a new and technically-sophisticated branch of biology."

Rasbach, Dr. Kurt
Pessoa · 1923-2019

German botanist and pteridologist, husband of Helga Rasbach.

Longtime collaborator with his wife, Helga Rasbach. Members of the Baden State Association for Natural History and Nature Conservation for over 60 years.

[Translated from German via Google from "In memoriam Helga und Kurt Rasbach"]
Dr. Kurt Rasbach came from the Westerwald region. He grew up in modest circumstances and under difficult times. He often recounted how he had to walk long distances to school, which sharpened his eye for natural phenomena. Returning from the Second World War with a gunshot wound, he studied medicine in Heidelberg, became a physician, and – perhaps even more importantly – a professional nature photographer.

In Glottertal in 1960, the State Insurance Institution took over the local spa and sanatorium, including the associated forest and open spaces. Under the direction of Dr. Rasbach,
the spa clinic was established for the treatment of physical overexertion, neurovegetative disorders, and states of exhaustion or burnout. When the idyllic clinic was chosen as the filming location for the TV series "Die Schwarzwaldklinik" (The Black Forest Clinic) in 1986, Dr. Rasbach took early retirement to avoid the hustle and bustle of filming. Throughout his medical career, he was actively involved in nature and landscape photographer.

Supported, among other things, by his early membership in the Baden State Association for Natural History and Nature Conservation, the Rasbachs maintained diverse contacts within the natural science community in Tübingen, Freiburg, and Karlsruhe. Especially in geobotanical work, they supported projects by young scientists at the diploma thesis level, many of whom later became professors. Here, too, the Rasbach couple proved themselves to be a perfect team: Helga Rasbach meticulously prepared the thematic requirements for photographic documentation of the relevant questions and results. Over the weekend, they both worked through the assigned tasks – and on Sunday night, the results were produced together in their own darkroom.

As a nature photographer, Dr. Rasbach possessed the gift of combining expressive plant portraits with their natural habitat. A guiding principle of his approach was: "Photographing for the eye." By this, he meant the challenging task of capturing the complex process of sensory perception in a single, static image. His best vegetation photographs show both the identifying characteristics of the individual plant and its habitat embedded in the landscape, thus embodying the process from detailed view to overview in a single shot. He always found his first and most important editor in his wife. This close collaboration between specialist author, expert guidance, and photographic realization at the highest technical and aesthetic level continues to set standards. As a result, both became sought-after volunteers for key book projects in Germany and internationally. The series of publications on the most important nature reserves of the former LfU Karlsruhe would be virtually inconceivable without the Rasbach couple. For the first editions of the volume "Kaiserstuhl," they were both responsible for the editorial work. The "Feldberg" book from the same series was also edited by them and received all the photographic material from them.

Both played a prominent role in the major species conservation works of the State Institute.

The eight-volume vascular plant flora, the moss flora, and the lichen flora contain many hundreds of illustrations by Helga and Kurt Rasbach. For specific tasks involving mosses and lichens, for illustrating a book by Gerold Hügin on lady's mantle species, and especially for Arno Hölzer's work on sphagnum mosses, Kurt Rasbach explored the photographic edges of macro photography. The early, large-format work "The Ferns of Central Europe," with the young Otti Wilmanns as the expert author, remains a classic of plant photography. The aesthetic of the black-and-white illustrations shown here is reminiscent of Karl Blossfeldt's seminal work.

The last major project they jointly undertook was the design of the 4th edition of the
Kaiserstuhl book – published in 2009. Helga and Kurt Rasbach did not complete the transition from
analog to digital photography, which was almost finished at that time, although they had a
lively interest and continually critically examined the new possibilities.

For Helga and Kurt Rasbach, illustrations were not merely an accessory or illustration, but rather,
in the field of natural history, a first-rate source that describes more about the nature and structure of an organism than would be possible in text form. They both left behind many
plans for future publications and an image archive of approximately 400,000 black-and-white negatives and color slides, which is currently being prepared for further use.

Rasbach, Helga
Pessoa · 1925-2018

German botanist and pteridologist, wife of Dr. Kurt Rasbach.

Helga was also an outstanding botanical illustrator – from cytology (e.g., of ferns) to the overall habitat (e.g., in her husband's early orchid volume).

Longtime collaborator with her husband Dr. Kurt Rasbach. Members of the Baden State Association for Natural History and Nature Conservation for over 60 years.

[Translated from German via Google,
Helga Rasbach was a biologist who specialized in the taxonomy of ferns. Her specialty was the discovery of unusual species. Numerous new discoveries of fern species in Central and Southern Europe can be traced back to her. At the same time, Helga Rasbach possessed the systematic knowledge to identify and thoroughly investigate doubtful cases in the field, particularly to examine them cytologically with regard to the chromosome numbers of individual ferns. Based on this, she was able to describe new hybrids, cytotypes, and subspecies of ferns and to identify hybrids. She also contributed many anonymously, for example, her work on the identification key for ferns in Oberdorfer's Excursion Flora.

Supported, among other things, by his early membership in the Baden State Association for Natural History and Nature Conservation, the Rasbachs maintained diverse contacts within the natural science community in Tübingen, Freiburg, and Karlsruhe. Especially in geobotanical work, they supported projects by young scientists at the diploma thesis level, many of whom later became professors. Here, too, the Rasbach couple proved themselves to be a perfect team: Helga Rasbach meticulously prepared the thematic requirements for photographic documentation of the relevant questions and results. Over the weekend, they both worked through the assigned tasks – and on Sunday night, the results were produced together in their own darkroom.

The series of publications on the most important nature reserves of the former LfU Karlsruhe would be virtually inconceivable without the Rasbach couple. For the first editions of the volume "Kaiserstuhl," they were both responsible for the editorial work. The "Feldberg" book from the same series was also edited by them and received all the photographic material from them.

Both played a prominent role in the major species conservation works of the State Institute.

The eight-volume vascular plant flora, the moss flora, and the lichen flora contain many hundreds of illustrations by Helga and Kurt Rasbach.

The last major project they jointly undertook was the design of the 4th edition of the
Kaiserstuhl book – published in 2009. Helga and Kurt Rasbach did not complete the transition from
analog to digital photography, which was almost finished at that time, although they had a
lively interest and continually critically examined the new possibilities.

For Helga and Kurt Rasbach, illustrations were not merely an accessory or illustration, but rather,
in the field of natural history, a first-rate source that describes more about the nature and structure of an organism than would be possible in text form. They both left behind many
plans for future publications and an image archive of approximately 400,000 black-and-white negatives and colour slides, which is currently being prepared for further use.

Sleep, Dr. Anne
Pessoa · 25 Feb 1939- 22 June 1993

Went to the University of Exeter to take an Honours Degree in Botany. In 1961, she moved to the botany department at the University of Leeds to become a research student of Professor Irene Manton. Anne's area of research was in two genera: Asplenium and Polystichum. She investigated the relationship between diploid taxa and the evolution of polyploids.

Many aspects of her work can be found in her 1966 dissertation, "Some cyto-taxonomic problems in the fern genera Asplenium and Polystichum," which, unfortunately, was never published and therefore only exists in a few copies. She was then awarded a research fellowship to spend two years in Japan from 1967 to 1969 to continue her work on ferns. She recalled this as a formative experience in her life. It allowed her to travel extensively in the East and establish a broad circle of professional and personal friendships.

Anne had barely returned from Japan when she developed systemic sclerosis, a rare and debilitating disease that proved difficult to diagnose and treat. This illness increasingly restricted her and made it less and less possible for her to pursue scientific work. Despite the great difficulties arising from her illness, she continued to expand her research, though the practical fern work proved increasingly difficult. Eventually, her illness began to affect her heart, and she eventually succumbed to the disease.


The Anne Sleep Award (The Linnean Society), Established by Mrs. Ivy Sleep in fulfilment of the wishes of her daughter, Dr Anne Sleep FLS. Awards of up to £3,000 are made at (odd-numbered) two year intervals, to assist one or more scholars to carry out biological research in the Middle or Far East, or similarly for scholars from the Middle or Far East to pursue their own biological research in the UK.

Mrs. Ivy Sleep, died in 1996 and left the sum of £120000 to the Linnean Society of London in fulfilment of her daughter’s wishes.

Roberts, Richard Henry
Pessoa · 1910-2003

One of the UK's leading amateur botanists and nature conservationists from Wales. He co-founded the North Wales Naturalists' Trust (North Wales Wildlife Trust) and was the organisation's first General Secretary. He had an international reputation for his expertise in Polypodium, Dactylorhiza, and Mimulus.

Educated at the University College of Wales, Bangor. He received no formal education in botany at school or university. He spent his whole career working as a primary school teacher.

In 1947, he was appointed to teach at Penmachno, Wales. This allowed him to study the mountain flora of Eryri (Snowdonia). He had a particular interest in ferns. Roberts studied the distribution patterns of plants against rock types.

In 1955, he and his family moved to Bangor, Wales, where he was appointed head teacher until his retirement in 1974.

Roberts was an active member of the British Pteridological Society (BPS) and the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) for almost 50 years. From 1955 to 1995, he was the BSBI Vice County Recorder for Anglesey (VC52).

After extensive fieldwork, Roberts published 2 books:

  • The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Anglesey (Cardiff: National Museum of Wales, 1982)
  • An Atlas of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Anglesey (The Author, 2002)

In his lifetime, he would also publish nearly 50 scientific articles and papers on his own and was formally acknowledged in more than 20. Roberts' work was recognised in the naming of two taxa: Mimulus x robertsii and Equisetum x robertsii.

Roberts was always happy to share his knowledge and experience. Often advising university staff and students, professional conservationists, taxonomists, and fellow amateur botanists.

In 1979, Roberts developed a strong relationship with the University at Bangor and, in recognition of his botanical and conservation work, was awarded an Honorary MSc by the University of Wales. He also became an Honorary Member of the BSBI and was awarded the Linnean Society's H.H. Bloomer Medal for services to botany and conservation in 1999.

Roberts was described as a very modest man who was content with working quietly without acknowledgement. His other interests included archaeology, Welsh history, poetry, and Welsh Mountain sheep breeding.

Corley, Hugh Vanner
Pessoa · 7 October 1914 -19 October 2002

An amateur botanist from Pucketty Farm, Faringdon, England.

Born in South India in 1914. He left India at age 4 to attend school in England. Eventually attended Marlborough College and Oriel College, Oxford, with a degree in zoology.

After a brief period in the army, he took up farming, working as a pupil on a farm near Kelmscott. In 1938, Hugh bought Pucketty Farm in Faringdon. He became an organic farmer and eventually published a book on the subject. Many people would come to his farm to learn about organic farming.

During WWII, Hugh was told by the Gloucester Regiment that they did not need him, so he resigned his commission and continued farming. He joined the Home Guard.

In 1950, Hugh became interested in ferns when he happened upon a very rare fern by chance. For the next 50 years, he dedicated himself to the study of ferns. He joined the British Pteridological Society in 1962 and began to specialise in Dryopteris. He was the first to suggest formulae (e.g. AB, AAB) for the possible combinations of genomes in what later became the subspecies of Dryopteris affinis, work that is still being continued today. President of BPS, Stanley Walker, lent him an old microscope so he could check spores.

Hugh would carry out fieldwork in Southern England and Wales on the weekends when the farming calendar would allow. In 1982, while fern hunting in Kintyre, he made the first discovery of Dryopteris x sarvelae outside Finland.

Hugh built up a living fern collection at Pucketty. Care of his ferns was his top priority, and they were well taken care of. Many of his plants were later studied in depth by Stanley Walker and Mary Gibby at the BM. Under Walker's tutelage, Hugh quickly learned to detect the exact stage when developing spores could be stained to show their chromosomes.

Hugh was a kind and generous person who was always willing to help anyone who showed an interest in ferns. One such person was a young student from Radley College, Christopher Fraser-Jenkins. They developed a long-lasting friendship, and Christopher would go on to name a species of Dryopteris after Hugh: D. corleyi.

In his 70s, Hugh trained as a chiropractor, being one of the first students of John McTimoney, founder of the Oxford College of Chiropractic. Hugh built on McTimoney's work.

Howie, Francis
Pessoa · fl 1960s-2022

Safety Officer at Natural History Museum, London.

[From NHM Archive]
Frank working at the Museum in the early 1970s in what was then known as the Palaeontology Laboratory. With a background of chemistry, Frank worked on conservation methodology and published numerous books and articles on the care and conservation of geological material.

He is well known for his early pioneering work on identification and treatment for pyrite as well as using thioglycolic acid to remove haematite from vertebrate specimens.

In 1984, Frank was appointed Safety Officer and helped establish the Museum’s first Health and Safety division. He continued his academic interests and published on aspects of safety in Museums and Galleries.

Frank retired to Cornwall in the early 2000s where his longstanding interest in natural sciences led him to become a member and later chair of Cornwall Geoconservation Group and he was appointed a Trustee of Cornwall Wildlife Trust. He had been actively working and preparing a publication on the recent geological history of Cornwall.

Cannon, John Francis Michael
Pessoa · 22 April 1930 - 31 March 2008

Keeper of Botany at Natural History Museum, London from 1977-1990 (retired).

After military service and study at Newcastle University, Cannon joined the Natural History Museum in 1952 as a Scientific Officer in the General Herbarium. The range of families in his section included the Umbelliferae (Parsley Family), of which he made a special study, particularly of the African species. One of his first tasks was to supervise the creation by Kim Allen of the old British Natural History Gallery. John Cannon was made Deputy Keeper under Bob Ross in 1972, and became Keeper of Botany on Bob’s retirement in1977. When he himself retired in 1990, he left the Museum and gave up botanical research. However, along with his wife Margaret, he wrote a book on Plant Dyes, published by the Museum.

President of Botanical Society of the British Isles (1983-1985)