Ivan Murray Johnston

Ivan Murray Johnston ( born February 28, 1898 in Los Angeles, † May 31 1960 in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts) was an American botanist. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " IMJohnst. "; earlier was also the abbreviation " Johnst. " in use.

Life and work

Johnston was born in 1898 and studied from 1916 to 1919 at Pomona College in Claremont ( California). During his studies he began, plants and grasses in Southern California, especially in Los Angeles County, to collect; there he developed a special fondness for plants on marshy soils. His talent was quickly discovered and promoted particularly by Samuel Bonsall Parish ( 1838-1928 ).

In 1925 he moved to Boston to continue his studies at Harvard University; there he remained until his death in 1960, collected by him in California plants are kept in the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont.; the collections from Massachusetts are now in the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University.

At Harvard itself Johnston specializing in the family Boraginaceae ( Boraginaceae ), which he wrote in the Boraginaceae 31 scientific publications under the title Studies. He could erstbeschreiben 215 new species of the family, which is about 10 % of the Borage Family.

Ehrentaxa

To him, the genus was named Ella Johnston fire the plant family Boraginaceae ( Boraginaceae ) in honor.

The epithets of plant species Arabis johnstonii Munz, Galium johnstonii Dempster & Stebbins, Mimulus johnstonii Algrant and Peniocereus johnstonii Britton & Rose are named after him.