Martin Roy Cheek (born 1960) is a botanist and

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

at 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 1,10 ...

.Cheek, Martin R.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Cheek attended the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, graduating with a B.Sc. in 1981 and a M.Sc. in 1983. He earned his

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

in 1989.

Research

With Matthew Jebb, Cheek revised the

pitcher plant Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

genus ''

Nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' () is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mo ...

'' in two major monographs: a skeletal revision in 1997Jebb, M.H.P. & M.R. Cheek 1997. A skeletal revision of ''Nepenthes'' (Nepenthaceae). ''Blumea'' 42(1): 1–106. and a more in-depth treatment of the

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. ...

n species for ''

Flora Malesiana ''Flora Malesiana'' is a multi-volume flora describing the vascular plants of Malesia (the biogeographical region consisting of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea), published by the National Herbarium of t ...

'' in 2001.Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001.

Nepenthaceae ''Nepenthes'' () is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mos ...

. ''Flora Malesiana'' 15: 1–157. In these and other works, Cheek has described a number of species new to science, often in collaboration with Jebb. These include: '' N. abalata'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. Identification and typification of ''Nepenthes blancoi'', with ''N. abalata'' sp. nov. from the western Visayas, Philippines. ''Nordic Journal of Botany'' 31(2): 151–156. '' N. abgracilis'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. The ''Nepenthes micramphora'' (Nepenthaceae) group, with two new species from Mindanao, Philippines. ''Phytotaxa'' 151(1): 25–34. '' N. alzapan'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. ''Nepenthes alzapan'' (Nepenthaceae), a new species from Luzon, Philippines. ''Phytotaxa'' 100(1): 57–60. '' N. argentii'', '' N. aristolochioides'', '' N. cid'', '' N. danseri'', '' N. diatas'', '' N. extincta'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. Recircumscription of the ''Nepenthes alata'' group (Caryophyllales: Nepenthaceae), in the Philippines, with four new species. ''European Journal of Taxonomy'' 69: 1–23. '' N. hurrelliana'',Cheek, M., M. Jebb, C.C. Lee, A. Lamb & A. Phillipps. 2003. ''Nepenthes hurrelliana'' (Nepenthaceae), a new species of pitcher plant from Borneo. ''Sabah Parks Nature Journal'' 6: 117–124. '' N. kitanglad'', '' N. kurata'', '' N. lamii'', '' N. leyte'', '' N. mira'', '' N. murudensis'', '' N. negros'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. Typification and redelimitation of ''Nepenthes alata'' with notes on the ''N. alata'' group, and ''N. negros'' sp. nov. from the Philippines. ''Nordic Journal of Botany'' 31(5): 616–622. '' N. ramos'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. ''Nepenthes ramos'' (Nepenthaceae), a new species from Mindanao, Philippines. ''Willdenowia'' 43(1): 107–111. '' N. robcantleyi'',Cheek, M. 2011. ''Nepenthes robcantleyi'' sp. nov. (Nepenthaceae) from Mindanao, Philippines. ''Nordic Journal of Botany'' 29(6): 677–681. '' N. samar'',Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. ''Nepenthes samar'' (Nepenthaceae), a new species from Samar, Philippines. ''Blumea'' 58(1): 82–84. '' N. thai'', and '' N. ultra''.Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2013. ''Nepenthes ultra'' (Nepenthaceae), a new species from Luzon, Philippines. ''Blumea'', published online on October 24, 2013. Cheek and Jebb also raised '' N. macrophylla'' to species rank. Cheek and his research are featured in the documentary ''The Mists of Mwanenguba''.

References

External links

The Mists of Mwanenguba
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheek, Martin British taxonomists English botanists 1960 births Living people Botanists active in Kew Gardens