David Hunt Linder (1899–1946) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

known for his work on the Helicosporous fungi and his dedications for the advancement of mycological knowledge. He curated the

Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany The Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany is an herbarium and library at Harvard University with about 1,400,000 specimens, including approximately 75,000 types, of lichens, fungi, bryophytes, diatoms, and algae.Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and founded a highly respected journal '' Farlowia''. Portrait of David Hunt Linder

Personal life

1899: David Hunt Linder was born in

Brookline, MA Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːs ...

on September 24 . Early on in his life, Linder and his family moved to Canton, MA. He spent most of childhood surrounded by science and nature. His parents owned an observatory, a greenhouse, and gardens of many flowers and vegetables. 1928: Linder married to his first wife, Elinor Alberts, who was an orchidologist at the

Missouri Botanical Garden The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million spe ...

. 1939: After Elinor died, Linder sold the house in Canton, remarried to Dorothy, and moved to a new house in Wakefield, MA. 1946: David Hunt Linder died on November 10, at the age of 47.

Education

Linder obtained his early education at the Noble and Greenough School for Boys in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

. 1917-1921: Bachelor of Arts,

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

Linder entered Harvard College in Cambridge, MA and received his B.A. degree in 4 years. By then, he had already started learning about mycology and corresponding with Dr.

William Gilson Farlow William Gilson Farlow (December 17, 1844 – June 3, 1919) was an American botanist, born in Boston, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard (A.B., 1866; M.D., 1870), where, after several years of European study, he became adjunct professor of ...

. 1921-1922: Master of Arts, Harvard University Linder began his graduate studies in

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, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as ...

and graduated a year later. Upon receiving his M.A., Linder was awarded the Sheldon Travelling Fellowship that allowed him to explore British and Dutch

Guiana The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

, and parts of the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...

. This trip resulted in Linder’s strong passions for the tropics. 1922-1926: Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University Linder continued his mycological studies under the supervision of two prominent mycologists, Dr.

Roland Thaxter Roland Thaxter (August 28, 1858 – April 22, 1932) was an American mycologist, plant pathologist, botanist, and entomologist, renowned for his contribution to the insect parasitic fungi—Laboulbeniales. His college education was completed at Har ...

and Dr. William H. Weston Jr. Upon graduation, Linder went to Liberia on the Harvard African Expedition. Linder became quite ill afterwards due to the physical strain of the expedition.

Career

After his return from Africa, Linder started his career as an instructor at the Henry Shaw School of Botany at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

and a mycologist at the

1928: Linder was promoted an Assistant Professor of Botany at the Henry Shaw School of Botany at George Washington University 1931: Linder returned to Harvard University and became an instructor in Cryptogamic Botany. He also assisted one of his mentors, Dr. Weston, at the Biological Laboratories. 1932: Linder began to work as a curator at the Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University. 1939: Linder and his assistant, Miss Harris, started assembling a card index of 2335 pictures of botanists and mycologists ranging from group photographs to formal portraits. 1943: Linder founded Farlowia, a prestigious quarterly journal that included articles up to 100 pages, exclusively on non-vascular

cryptograms A cryptogram is a type of puzzle that consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the cipher used to encrypt the text is simple enough that the cryptogram can be solved by hand. Substitution ciphers where each letter is replaced by ...

and

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

Contributions to Mycology

Collections: Linder added about 200,000 specimens to the Farlow Herbarium. Important collections included the Bartholomew Fungi, the Sprague Lichens, Mrs. E. B. Blackford’s fungi, and Miss Lizzie Allen’s paintings of higher fungi, etc. Publications: Linder produced almost 150 scientific papers on cryptogamic plants and fungi. The most prominent one was probably the monograph of the Helicospous fungi imperfecti This article contains a total of 161 pages and 31 plates, i.e. figures. Clearly, Linder spent a lot of time describing and illustrating fungal species and genera of this group, all of which produce helicore spores, hence the name Helicosporous fungi. Linder published work on other types of fungi as well, such as those from the genera ''Myxomycidium'', ''

Rhizopogon ''Rhizopogon'' is a genus of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes in the family Rhizopogonaceae. Species form hypogeous sporocarps commonly referred to as "false truffles". The general morphological characters of ''Rhizopogon'' sporocarps are a si ...

'', and '' Schizophyllum''. Descriptions: Of the Kingdom Fungi, Linder described one new family: Kickxellaceae, 16 new genera, and 170 new species.

Honors

Several fungal taxa have been named in honor of David Hunt Linder including; ''Linderiella'' G. Cunn., (now a synonym of ''

Clathrus ''Clathrus'' is a genus of fungi of the family Phallaceae, the stinkhorn fungi. As with other members of the family, mature fruit bodies are covered with olive-brown slimy gleba, containing spores, that attracts flies. These fungi are saprobic ...

'' ) ''Linderomyces'' Singer, (now a synonym of ''

Gloeocantharellus ''Gloeocantharellus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Gomphaceae. It contains 12 species that are found in mainly tropical and subtropical regions.Reschke, K., Lotz-Winter, H., Fischer, C.W., Hofmann, T.A., Piepenbring, M., 2021. New and intere ...

'' ), ''Aplosporella linderae'' (Peck) Petr., and ''Circinella linderi'' Hesselt. & Fennell. (now a synonym of ''

Fennellomyces linderi ''Fennellomyces'' is a genus of fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms ar ...

Mycological Society of America The Mycological Society of America (MSA) is a learned society that serves as the professional organization of mycologists in the U.S. and Canada. It was founded in 1932. The Society's constitution states that "The purpose of the Society is to prom ...

: Linder was appointed the Secretary-Treasurer in 1936-1938, Vice President in 1939, and President in 1940 Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

(1931) Secretary of the

American Society of Plant Taxonomists The American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) is a botanical organization formed in 1935 to "foster, encourage, and promote education and research in the field of plant taxonomy, to include those areas and fields of study that contribute to and b ...

Members of various clubs, such as the

Torrey Botanical Club Torrey Botanical Society (formerly Torrey Botanical Club) was started in the 1860s by colleagues of John Torrey. It is the oldest botanical society in the Americas. The Society promotes the exploration and study of plant life, with particular ...

, the New England Botanical Clu

and the

British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...

Interesting facts

Linder served in the Student Army Training Corps as a chemist during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Linder was a talented artist and excellent drawer. He drew an uncountable number of mycological illustrations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linder, David H. 1899 births 1946 deaths American mycologists Harvard University alumni Noble and Greenough School alumni