Henk Jaap Beentje (born 1951, Bakkum) is a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. In 1978 he obtained a masters in biology at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

. He obtained his PhD at the

Wageningen Agricultural University Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

on the thesis ''A monograph on Strophanthus DC. (Apocynaceae)'', prepared under the direction of

Hendrik de Wit Hendrik (Henk) Cornelis Dirk de Wit (24 October 1909 – 16 March 1999) was a Dutch systematic botanist who contributed significantly to the knowledge of the Aroid genera '' Cryptocoryne'' and '' Lagenandra''. He grew up in the Waterland, a ...

and A.J.M. Leeuwenberg, in 1982. Since 1975, Beentje has been active in Africa. Between 1984 and 1989, he was a research fellow at the East African Herbarium, a

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

that is part of the

National Museums of Kenya The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is a state corporation that manages museums, sites and monuments in Kenya. It carries out heritage research, and has expertise in subjects ranging from palaeontology, archeology, ethnography and biodiversit ...

in Kenya. Since 1995, Beentje has been a researcher at the herbarium of the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

. He is particularly engaged in research of mainly African species from the

Composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

and the

Palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

families. In the area of the palms, he has often collaborated with

John Dransfield John Dransfield (born 1945) is an honorary research fellow and former head of palm research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom, as well as being an authority on the phylogenetic classification of palms. Dransfield has written or ...

. Beentje also serves as an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the publication series '' Flora of Tropical East Africa''. He is a Fellow of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

Selected publications

*''A Field Guide to the Acacias of Kenya'', Malcolm Coe, Henk Beentje & Rosemary Wise,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(1992), *''Kenya Trees, Shrubs, and Lianas'', Henk Beentje,

Joy Adamson Friederike Victoria "Joy" Adamson ( Gessner; 20 January 1910 – 3 January 1980) was a naturalist, artist and author. Her book, ''Born Free'', describes her experiences raising a lion cub named Elsa. ''Born Free'' was printed in several langua ...

& Dhan Bhanderi, National Museums of Kenya (1994), *''The Palms of Madagascar'', John Dransfield, Henk Beentje, Margaret Tebbs & Rosemary Wise, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1995), *''Field Guide to the Palms of Madagascar'', John Dransfield, Henk Beentje, Adam Britt, Tianjanahary Ranarivelo & Jeremie Razafitsalama, Kew Publishing (2006),

References

External links

Information about the thesis of Henk J. Beentje
1951 births Living people Botanists active in Kew Gardens 20th-century Dutch botanists 21st-century Dutch botanists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London People from Castricum University of Amsterdam alumni Wageningen University and Research alumni {{Netherlands-botanist-stub