John Banister (naturalist)
John Banister (* 1650 in Twigworth, Gloucestershire, † May 1692 in Virginia ) was an English botanist and entomologist. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Banister ".
Life and work
John Banister is the son of his father's eponymous John Banister. 1667, he began his theological studies at Magdalen College, University of Oxford and the English made in 1674 with a degree. Until his ordination in 1676, he worked at Magalen College as a clergyman. From 1676 to 1678 he was chaplain there.
During his studies he discovered when visiting the Oxford Physic Garden his interest in botany and he began to attend the lectures of Robert Morison. Morison, who was impressed by Banister's abilities, convinced Henry Compton, Bishop of Oxford, and to send it later London Banister on behalf of the Anglican Church in Virginia.
About Barbados and Grenada, he arrived before Christmas in 1677 in Virginia, where he began his work as a priest in 1678.
Banister made numerous collecting trips in the area around the James River, and sent the data collected by him plants, shells and insects with descriptions, inter alia, to Jacob Bobart, Henry Compton, Samuel Doody, Martin Lister, Robert Morison, Leonard Plukenet, John Ray and Hans Sloane.
1690 he acquired near the Appomattox River 1735 acres ground, managed two slaves for him. The plantation should his botanical studies finance.
During a collecting trip along the Roanoke River, he was accidentally shot. John Banister was married and had a son.
His catalogs and his collection was acquired after his death by Hans Sloane.
Contributions to the works of other authors
John Banister's Natural History of Virginia remained unfinished. He described about 340 species of plants and thus had influence on the following books:
- Martin Lister: Historia conchyliorum (1686-1688)
- John Ray: Historia plantarum ( band 2, 1688 Volume 3, 1704)
- Leonard Plukenet: Phytographia (1691-1705)
- Robert Morison: Plantarum historiae ( Volume 3, 1699)
Honors
William Houstoun named in his honor, the genus of the plant family Bannisteria the Malpighiengewächse ( Malpighiaceae ). Linnaeus later took over this name and changed the spelling in Banisteria. The name is now a synonym for Heteropteris Kunth.
The genus Banisteriopsis C. B. Rob. is also named after him.
Also appearing since 1992 magazine Banisteria, the natural history of Virginia is dedicated to, is named after John Banister. The journal is published by the Virginia Natural History Society.
Swell
- Joseph Ewan, Nesta Ewan: John Banister, Virginia 's First Naturalist. In: Banisteria Number 1, 1992 (PDF).
- Keir Brooks Sterling: Biographical dictionary of American and Canadian naturalists and environmentalists. Greenwood Press, 1997. ISBN 0-313-23047-1.