Peter Geoffrey Taylor (1926–2011) was a British

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 worked at

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 ...

throughout his career in botany. Taylor was born in 1926 and joined the staff of the

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 ...

at Kew in 1948. He published his first new species, '' Utricularia pentadactyla'', in 1954. In 1973, Taylor was appointed curator of the

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 ...

division of the herbarium and, according to Kew, "under his direction, orchid taxonomy was revitalised and its horticultural contacts strengthened."Orchid Taxonomy at Kew
Accessed online: 10 February 2008.Taylor, Peter. (1989). ''The genus Utricularia - a taxonomic monograph''. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XIV: London. One of Taylor's main botanical focuses was the genus ''

Utricularia ''Utricularia'', commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species (precise counts differ based on classification opinions; a 2001 publication lists 215 species).Salmon, Br ...

''. He authored many species in the genus and provided the most comprehensive

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

on the genus in 1986 and revised in 1989 as ''

The genus Utricularia - a taxonomic monograph ''The Genus Utricularia: A Taxonomic Monograph'' is a monograph by Peter Taylor on the carnivorous plant genus ''Utricularia'', the bladderworts. It was published in 1989 by Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) as the fourteenth entry in the '' ...

''. The bladderworts '' Utricularia petertaylorii'' and '' Utricularia tayloriana'' are named in his honour, as are ''

Acacia taylorii ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus nam ...

'', ''

Chaetopoa taylorii ''Chaetopoa'' is a genus of African plants in the Poaceae, grass family, found only in Tanzania. ; Species * ''Chaetopoa pilosa'' Clayton - Mbeya Region in southwestern Tanzania * ''Chaetopoa taylorii'' C.E.Hubb. - Tanzania See also * List of ...

'', '' Genlisea taylorii'', ''

Indigofera taylorii ''Indigofera'' is a large genus of over 750 species of flowering plants belonging to the pea family Fabaceae. They are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Description Species of ''Indigofera'' are mos ...

'', '' Karina tayloriana'', ''

Platystele taylorii ''Platystele'' is a genus of orchids, comprising about 95 species. Most of these have small flowers, some of the smallest in the family. The genus is widespread across Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America as far south as Bo ...

'', '' Phyllanthus taylorianus'', and '' Spermacoce taylorii''.Cribb, P. (2012)
Obituaries – Peter Taylor (1926–2011).
BSBI Year Book 2012. ''Genlisea'' subgen. ''Tayloria'' (and by extension ''Genlisea'' sect. ''Tayloria'') are also named after him.Schlauer, J. 2012. Peter Taylor's nomenclatural legacy (Phanerogams). ''

Carnivorous Plant Newsletter The ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter'' is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS), the largest such organization in the world. It is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. History and editorship The newsle ...

'' 41(2): 56–66.

References

* Schnell, Donald. (1991). ''

'' 20(1–2): 4–5. * Schnell, Donald. (1991). ''

'' 20(1–2): 6–7. * Taylor, Peter. (1991). ''

'' 20(1–2): 34–43.

External links

IPNI profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Peter 1926 births 2011 deaths British botanists

References

Further reading

External links