Herman Montague Rucker Rupp (27 December 1872 – 2 September 1956) was an Australian clergyman and

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 ...

who specialised in

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s. He was known throughout his life as Montague Rupp (pronounced "Rupe") and in later life as the "Orchid Man". Rupp was born in Port Fairy, Victoria to Charles Ludwig Hermann Rupp, a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n-born Anglican clergyman and Marie Ann Catherine Rupp, a

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

n who died two weeks after the birth of Montague. Montague Rupp was educated at Geelong Grammar School as a boarder, where an uncle

John Bracebridge Wilson John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, the naturalist, was headmaster. Charles's parents died on the voyage to Australia or shortly before, and the boy was raised by William Frederic Augustus Rucker (1807 - 1882), another Prussian émigré. Rupp was made

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

on 28 May 1899 and ordained

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on 2 June 1901. He began recording his botanical observations and specimens in 1892; from 1899 made 'a census of the native plants' of his parishes. In 1924 he decided to 'concentrate on the family which had always attracted me most — the orchids' and gave some 5000 other specimens to the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

's botany school. He sent 'some MSS notes on orchids' to

Joseph Maiden Joseph Henry Maiden (25 April 1859 – 16 November 1925) was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the genus ''Eucalyptus''. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing ...

who had them published in the ''Australian Naturalist'' (April 1924). Rupp published over 200 papers in the following thirty years. Rupp was awarded the Clarke Medal by the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...

in 1949 and the

Australian Natural History Medallion The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. The idea origina ...

by the

Field Naturalists Club of Victoria The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation. It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas. Sophie C. Ducker,Lucas, Arthur Henr ...

in 1954.

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