Charles Jeffrey: polyglot, synantherologist and cucurbitologist

D.J. Nicholas Hind

The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0399-1909

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.53875/capitulum.03.2.03

ABSTRACT:  This article commemorates the life and career of Charles Jeffrey (10th April 1934– 29th March 2022), a preeminent botanist renowned for his contributions to plant systematics, particularly in the families Cucurbitaceae and Compositae. The text interweaves personal anecdotes, professional achievements, and insights into Jeffrey's enduring legacy in taxonomy, nomenclature, and conservation. Jeffrey's extensive career included his tenure at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he mentored the author and other colleagues, as well as his post-retirement work at the Komarov Botanical Institute in St. Petersburg. Key highlights include Jeffrey’s pioneering systematic frameworks, his involvement in global conferences, and his significant role in the translation of Armen Takhtajan's seminal work on angiosperm origins. His contributions are further exemplified by a detailed bibliography and a nomenclator of suprageneric, generic, and infrageneric taxa he published within Cucurbitaceae and Compositae. A comprehensive list of his publications and taxa is presented. This article blends elements of an autobiography, an obituary, and a celebration of Jeffrey's contributions, underscoring his indelible impact on botany and his enduring influence on colleagues and the scientific community.

Keywords: Asteraceae, bibliography, biography, Compositae, Cucurbitaceae, taxonomy.