Henry William Ravenel (May 19, 1814 – July 17, 1887) was an American planter and botanist. He studied

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 ...

and

cryptogams A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, discovering a large number of new species. The genus '' Ravenelia'' is named after him, along with many of the species he discovered.

Biography

Early life

Henry William Ravenel was born on May 19, 1814 on the Pooshee Plantation in

Berkeley County, South Carolina Berkeley County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 229,861. Its county seat is Moncks Corner. After two previous incarnations of Berkeley County, the current county was created in 1882. B ...

. The plantation had been in his family since before 1716. It now lies beneath the waters of

Lake Moultrie Lake Moultrie is the third largest lake in South Carolina. Created in the 1940s by a state utility project to dam the Cooper River, it covers more than . It provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including fishing. Location Lak ...

, which was created in 1939. The nearest existing place is Bonneau. He attended the nearby Pineville Academy and graduated in 1832 from South Carolina College, now the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the Clariosophic Society.

Career

He inherited the Pooshee Plantation from his father, and was a slave owner. He was also a regular diarist, and recorded his beliefs that former slaves should be regulated. He wrote in September 1865 "There must ... be stringent laws to control the negroes, & require them to fulfill their contracts of labor on the farm." He made a critical study of the phaenogams (

phanerogams A spermatophyte (; ), also known as phanerogam (taxon Phanerogamae) or phaenogam (taxon Phaenogamae), is any plant that produces seeds, hence the alternative name seed plant. Spermatophytes are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants. They inc ...

?) of South Carolina, was botanist of the government commission to Texas in 1869 and was agricultural editor of the ''Weekly News and Courier''. The genus ''Ravenelia'' of the Uredineae is named in his honor. He was credited with being the only American after the Rev. Moses A. Curtis, who knew specifically the fungi of the United States. The

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

gave him the degree of

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

in 1886.

Death

He died on July 17, 1887 in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the S ...

Works

* The

exsiccata Exsiccata (Latin, ''gen.'' -ae, ''plur.'' -ae) is a work with "published, uniform, numbered set of preserved specimens distributed with printed labels". Typically, exsiccatae refer to numbered collections of dried herbarium specimens respectivel ...

series ''Fungi Caroliniani Exsiccati'' (1853–60) * The

series ''Fungi Americani Exsiccati'', with M. C. Cooke (1878–82) *''The Private Journal of Henry William Ravenel, 1859–1887'' (Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1947).

Secondary source

*Tamara Miner Haygood, ''Henry William Ravenel, 1814–1887: South Carolina Scientist in the Civil War Era'', Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1987.Google Books
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravenel, Henry William 1814 births 1887 deaths People from Berkeley County, South Carolina People from Aiken, South Carolina American planters American botanists University of South Carolina alumni