Job Bicknell Ellis
Encyclopedia
Job Bicknell Ellis was a pioneering North American mycologist known for his study of the Ascomycetes, especially the grouping of fungi called the Pyrenomycetes (known today as the Sordariomycetes
). Born and raised in New York, he worked as a teacher and farmer before developing an interest in mycology. He collected specimens extensively, and together with his wife, prepared 200,000 sets of dried fungal samples that were sent out to subscribers in series between 1878 and 1894. Together with colleagues William A. Kellerman and Benjamin Matlock Everhart, he founded the Journal of Mycology in 1885, forerunner to the modern journal Mycologia
. He described over 4000 species of fungi, and his collection of over 100,000 specimens is currently housed at the herbarium
of the New York Botanical Gardens. Ellis had over 100 taxa
of fungi named in his honor.
on January 21, 1829 to parents Freeman Ellis and Sarah Bicknell. He was the tenth child of fourteen. In 1851, He graduated from Union College
in Schenectady, New York
, the same institution attended by lichenologist Edward Tuckerman
(A.B.
1837) and mycologist Charles Horton Peck
(A.B. 1859). Bicknell began an erratic career as a classics
teacher and farmer in New York
, Pennsylvania
, and South Carolina
. He became the principal of the Canton Academy in 1856, the same year he married Arvilla Jane Bacon, who became his lifelong assistant and collaborator. Their daughter Cora was born on January 12, 1857; she later became a professional musician in New York. It was around this time that Bicknell started developing his interest in botany, by collecting plants with fellow teachers on weekends. He saw a copy of Henry William Ravenel
's Fungi Caroliniani Exsiccati, a set of dried specimens (exsiccati) collected from North Carolina
and area. Ellis initiated a correspondence with Ravenel, and established a friendship that lasted until Ravenel's death in 1887.
Ellis taught in a public school in Potsdam village
in 1863, and later served on the Union
side in the American civil war
from 1864 to 1865. He served on the steam frigate USS Susquehanna of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and was present during the bombardment of Fort Fisher
on December 24–25, 1864 and January 13–15, 1865, when the Fort was captured. The war took its toll on his spirits; his April 22, 1865 diary entry reads: "I have felt degraded ever since I have been here & no amount of money & I might perhaps safely say no motive not even patriotism will ever induce me to put myself in the like position again." He was discharged from the Navy on May 18, 1865, and returned to Potsdam. After the war Ellis settled in Newfield, New Jersey
, where he lived until his death.
Although he did not have any formal training as a botanist or mycologist, Ellis gradually took up mycological fieldwork and ultimately dedicated his life to the collection and exchange of dried fungal specimens. He created reference collections that were sold in sets of one hundred, or "centuries". The most important of these were the Fungi Nova-Caesarienses (Fungi of New Jersey) (1878) and the North American Fungi, issued in series from 1878 to 1894. The complete set of exsiccati numbered 3200 specimens. The obituary of his wife, who died on July 18, 1899, elaborated her devotion to his work:
Based in Newfield, New Jersey, Ellis maintained an extensive correspondence with many renowned American and European mycologists. In 1880, Ellis began to receive financial support from Benjamin Matlock Everhart, a wealthy merchant of Westchester, Pennsylvania. Together they co-authored North American Pyrenomycetes (1892). With William A. Kellerman, Ellis and Everhart founded the Journal of Mycology in 1885, a forerunner to Mycologia
. Most of the articles in the first issues were written by Ellis. He published many of his newly discovered species in the journal, as well as the Botanical Gazette, Torrey Bulletin
, American Naturalist
, and Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy. In 1896, near the end of his life, Ellis sold his collection of over 100,000 specimens to the New York Botanical Garden
for its Cryptogamic Herbarium, including the types
of 4,000 new species described by Ellis and his collaborators. The Garden Library also received a "large cache" of his letters in 1983. Ellis was a prolific author, and published over 500 scientific articles. He died December 30, 1905 in Newfield.
. In August 1882 he was elected a corresponding member of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland and in December of the same year was elected a corresponding member of "Die Kaiserlich-Königliche Zoologisch-Botanische Gesellschaft in Wien".
Sordariomycetes
The Sordariomycetes are a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina , consisting of 15 orders, 64 families, 1119 genera, and 10564 species.Sordariomycetes generally produce their asci in perithecial fruiting bodies....
). Born and raised in New York, he worked as a teacher and farmer before developing an interest in mycology. He collected specimens extensively, and together with his wife, prepared 200,000 sets of dried fungal samples that were sent out to subscribers in series between 1878 and 1894. Together with colleagues William A. Kellerman and Benjamin Matlock Everhart, he founded the Journal of Mycology in 1885, forerunner to the modern journal Mycologia
Mycologia
Mycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
. He described over 4000 species of fungi, and his collection of over 100,000 specimens is currently housed at the herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
of the New York Botanical Gardens. Ellis had over 100 taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
of fungi named in his honor.
Life
Ellis was born in Potsdam, New YorkPotsdam, New York
Potsdam, New York relates to two locations in Saint Lawrence County, New York:*Potsdam , New York*Potsdam , New York, in the town of Potsdam; site of the State University of New York at Potsdam...
on January 21, 1829 to parents Freeman Ellis and Sarah Bicknell. He was the tenth child of fourteen. In 1851, He graduated from Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, the same institution attended by lichenologist Edward Tuckerman
Edward Tuckerman
Edward Tuckerman was an American botanist and professor who made significant contributions to the study of lichens and other alpine plants. He was a founding member of the Natural History Society of Boston and most of his career was spent at Amherst College...
(A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
1837) and mycologist Charles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck, born March 30, 1833 in Sand Lake, New York, died 1917 in Albany, New York, was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries...
(A.B. 1859). Bicknell began an erratic career as a classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
teacher and farmer in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He became the principal of the Canton Academy in 1856, the same year he married Arvilla Jane Bacon, who became his lifelong assistant and collaborator. Their daughter Cora was born on January 12, 1857; she later became a professional musician in New York. It was around this time that Bicknell started developing his interest in botany, by collecting plants with fellow teachers on weekends. He saw a copy of Henry William Ravenel
Henry William Ravenel
Henry William Ravenel was a botanist of the United States. He studied fungi and cryptogams in South Carolina, discovering a large number of new species...
's Fungi Caroliniani Exsiccati, a set of dried specimens (exsiccati) collected from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and area. Ellis initiated a correspondence with Ravenel, and established a friendship that lasted until Ravenel's death in 1887.
Ellis taught in a public school in Potsdam village
Potsdam (village), New York
Potsdam is a village located in the Town of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York, USA. The population was 9,425 at the 2000 census.The Village of Potsdam is in the eastern part of the town and is northeast of Canton, the county seat....
in 1863, and later served on the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
side in the American civil war
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
from 1864 to 1865. He served on the steam frigate USS Susquehanna of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and was present during the bombardment of Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
on December 24–25, 1864 and January 13–15, 1865, when the Fort was captured. The war took its toll on his spirits; his April 22, 1865 diary entry reads: "I have felt degraded ever since I have been here & no amount of money & I might perhaps safely say no motive not even patriotism will ever induce me to put myself in the like position again." He was discharged from the Navy on May 18, 1865, and returned to Potsdam. After the war Ellis settled in Newfield, New Jersey
Newfield, New Jersey
Newfield is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 1,616.Newfield was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1924, from portions of Franklin Township, based on the results of a...
, where he lived until his death.
Although he did not have any formal training as a botanist or mycologist, Ellis gradually took up mycological fieldwork and ultimately dedicated his life to the collection and exchange of dried fungal specimens. He created reference collections that were sold in sets of one hundred, or "centuries". The most important of these were the Fungi Nova-Caesarienses (Fungi of New Jersey) (1878) and the North American Fungi, issued in series from 1878 to 1894. The complete set of exsiccati numbered 3200 specimens. The obituary of his wife, who died on July 18, 1899, elaborated her devotion to his work:
Besides binding many of her husband's books and pamphlets, she prepared some three thousand blank books in which the North American Fungi were issued and in which the greater part of the Ellis collection was mounted. Besides this she arranged at least three fourths of the 200,000 specimens which were issued in this series and in the Fungi Columbiani, folding papers, inserting specimens, pasting labels and inserting in their places.
Based in Newfield, New Jersey, Ellis maintained an extensive correspondence with many renowned American and European mycologists. In 1880, Ellis began to receive financial support from Benjamin Matlock Everhart, a wealthy merchant of Westchester, Pennsylvania. Together they co-authored North American Pyrenomycetes (1892). With William A. Kellerman, Ellis and Everhart founded the Journal of Mycology in 1885, a forerunner to Mycologia
Mycologia
Mycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
. Most of the articles in the first issues were written by Ellis. He published many of his newly discovered species in the journal, as well as the Botanical Gazette, Torrey Bulletin
Torrey Botanical Society
Torrey Botanical Society was started in the 1860s by colleagues of John Torrey. It is the oldest botanical society in the Americas...
, American Naturalist
American Naturalist
The American Naturalist is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1867. It is published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the American Society of Naturalists. The journal covers research in ecology, evolutionary biology, population, and integrative biology....
, and Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy. In 1896, near the end of his life, Ellis sold his collection of over 100,000 specimens to the New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
for its Cryptogamic Herbarium, including the types
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of 4,000 new species described by Ellis and his collaborators. The Garden Library also received a "large cache" of his letters in 1983. Ellis was a prolific author, and published over 500 scientific articles. He died December 30, 1905 in Newfield.
Memberships and societies
Ellis was honored by several scientific societies. In 1878, he was elected a corresponding member of Philadelphia's Academy of Natural SciencesAcademy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...
. In August 1882 he was elected a corresponding member of the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland and in December of the same year was elected a corresponding member of "Die Kaiserlich-Königliche Zoologisch-Botanische Gesellschaft in Wien".
Eponymous taxa
- Ellisembia Subram. 1992
- Ellisia Bat. & Peres 1965
- Ellisiella Bat. 1956
- Ellisiella Sacc. 1881 (now ColletotrichumColletotrichumColletotrichum is a genus of fungi that are obligate symbionts to plants in the form of endophytes. Many of the species in this genus are plant pathogens, although some species may express a mutualistic life-style in non-disease hosts....
) - Ellisiellina Sousa da Câmara 1949 (now Colletotrichum)
- Elisiodothis Theiss 1914
- Ellisiopsis Bat. 1956 (now Beltraniella)
- Ellisomyces Benny & R.K. Benj. 1975
- JobellisiaJobellisiaJobellisia is a genus of fungi within the Diaporthales order, class Sordariomycetes. The relationship of this taxon to other taxa within the order is unknown ....
M.E. Barr 1993
- Acanthostigma ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Aecidium ellisii Tracy & L.D. Galloway 1888
- Albatrellopsis ellisii (Berk.) Teixeira 1994
- Albatrellus ellisii (Berk.) Pouzar 1966
- Alternaria ellisii Pandotra & Ganguly 1964
- Annellophorella ellisii Reisinger & Kiffer 1970
- Anthostoma ellisii Sacc.
- Ascochyta ellisii Thüm.
- Asterina ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Atractobolus ellisiella (Rehm) Kuntze 1898
- Bactridium ellisii Berk. 1874
- Bipolaris ellisii (Danquah) Alcorn 1983
- Botrytis ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Bullaria ellisii (De Toni) Arthur & Mains
- Calathella ellisii Agerer 1983
- Caliciopsis ellisii Sacc.
- Calycina ellisii (Dennis) Raitv. 2004
- Capnodium ellisii Sacc.
- Cenangium ellisii Sacc.
- Cercospora ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Ceuthospora ellisii Sacc. & Trotter 1913
- Chaetendophragmia ellisii (Piroz.) B. Sutton & Hodges 1978
- Chaetomium ellisianum Sacc. & P. Syd.
- Chaetoplea ellisii (Sacc. & P. Syd.) M.E. Barr 1990
- Chaetosphaeria ellisii (M.E. Barr) Huhndorf & F.A. Fernández 2005
- Chalara ellisii Nag Raj & W.B. Kendr. 1975
- Clasterosporium ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Clathrosphaerina ellisii Purohit, Panwar & N.L.Vyas 1974
- Cochliobolus ellisii Alcorn 1983
- Collybia ellisii (Murrill) Murrill 1917
- Comatricha ellisii Morgan 1894
- Coniochaeta ellisiorum P.F. Cannon
- Coniophora ellisii (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Sacc. 1888
- Coprinellus ellisii (P.D. Orton) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo 2001
- Coprinus ellisii P.D. Orton 1960
- Corticium ellisii (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Cooke 1880
- Coryne ellisii Berk. 1873
- Cucurbitaria ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd.
- Curvularia ellisii S.I. Ahmed & M. Qureshi 1960
- Cylindrosporium ellisii Halst.
- Cylindrotrichum ellisii Morgan-Jones 1977
- Dacrymyces ellisii Coker 1920
- Dacryopsis ellisiana Massee 1891
- Dasyscyphus ellisianus (Rehm) Sacc. 1889
- Dendryphion ellisii Cooke 1878
- Diaporthe ellisii Rehm
- Dicaeoma ellisianum (Thüm.) Kuntze 1898
- Dicaeoma ellisii (De Toni) Kuntze 1898
- Didymostilbe ellisii A.S. Saxena & Mukerji 1970
- Dimerosporium ellisii Sacc.
- Diplodina ellisii Sacc.
- Dothiora ellisii (M.E. Barr) Shoemaker & C.E. Babc. 1987
- Dothiorella ellisii Arx 1957
- Drechslera ellisii Danquah 1975
- Endophragmiella ellisii S. Hughes 1979
- Engizostoma ellisii Kuntze 1898
- Entoleuca ellisii Y.M. Ju, J.D. Rogers & H.M. Hsieh 2005
- Entyloma ellisii Halst. 1890
- Entylomella ellisii (Halst.) Cif. 1959
- Erynia ellisiana Ben Ze'ev 1986
- Erysiphe ellisii (U. Braun) U. Braun & S. Takam. 2000
- Fomes ellisianus F.W. Anderson 1891
- Furia ellisiana (Ben Ze'ev) Humber 1989
- Fusicoccum ellisianum Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Fusicoccum ellisii Petr. & Died. 1913
- Glabrocyphella ellisiana W.B. Cooke 1961
- Gloniopsis ellisii Cash 1939
- Gymnopus ellisii Murrill 1917
- Gymnosporangium ellisii Berk. 1879
- Hamaspora ellisii (Berk.) Körn. 1877
- Haplaria ellisii Cooke 1889
- Helicosporium ellisii Cooke
- Hemiarcyria ellisii Massee 1889
- Herpotrichia ellisii (Sacc. & P. Syd.) M.E. Barr 1992
- Hydnum ellisianum Thüm. 1878
- Hydnum ellisianum (Banker) Sacc. & Trotter 1912
- Hymenochaete ellisii Berk. & M.A. Curtis 1876
- Hymenoscyphus ellisii Dennis 1964
- Hyphopolynema ellisiorum B. Sutton & Alcorn 1984
- Kylindria ellisii (Morgan-Jones) DiCosmo, S.M. Berch & W.B. Kendr. 1983
- Lachnella ellisiana (Rehm) Seaver 1951
- Lasiosphaeria ellisii M.E. Barr 1993
- Leptosphaeria ellisiana Berl.
- Lyophyllum ellisii (P.D. Orton) Cons. & Contu 2001
- Macroplodia ellisii (Sacc.) Kuntze 1898
- Melanopsamma ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Meliola ellisii Roum. 1880
- Microscypha ellisii Dennis 1971
- Microsphaera ellisii U. Braun 1982
- Monochaetia ellisiana Sacc. & D. Sacc. 1906
- Myxosporium ellisii Sacc. 1884
- Nectria ellisii C. Booth 1959
- Niptera ellisii Rehm
- Nodulisporium ellisii (Sacc. & P. Syd.) S. Hughes 1958
- Odontia ellisiana (Thüm.) Rick 1933
- Ophiobolus ellisianus Berl.
- Peniophora ellisii Massee 1889
- Perenniporia ellisiana (F.W. Anderson) Gilb. & Ryvarden 1985
- Periconia ellisii P.Rag. Rao & D. Rao 1964
- Periconiella ellisii Merny & B. Huguenin 1962
- Pestalotia ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Peziza ellisiana Rehm
- Phellodon ellisianus Banker 1906
- Phillipsiella ellisii M.E. Barr 1993
- Phragmidium ellisii (Berk.) Sacc. 1888
- Phyllosticta ellisiana Lambotte & Fautrey 1894
- Phyllosticta ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Pithomyces ellisii V.G. Rao & Chary 1972
- Pleospora ellisii Wehm. 1961
- Pleurage ellisiana Griffiths 1901
- Plochmopeltis ellisii Arx 1959
- Podisoma ellisii (Berk.) Mussat 1874
- Podospora ellisiana (Griffiths) Mirza & Cain 1970
- Polynema ellisii B. Sutton
- Polypilus ellisii (Berk.) Teixeira 1992
- Polyporus ellisianus (Murrill) Sacc. & Trotter 1912
- Polyporus ellisii Berk. 1878
- Polystictus ellisianus Lloyd 1920
- Poria ellisiana (F.W. Anderson) Ginns 1984
- Pseudocercospora pamelae-ellisiae (G.P. Agarwal & N.D. Sharma) U. Braun 1999
- Psilachnum ellisii (Dennis) E. Weber & Baral 1992
- Puccinia ellisiana Thüm. 1878
- Puccinia ellisii De Toni 1888
- Pyrenopeziza ellisii Massee 1896
- Rhabdospora ellisii Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899
- Rhinocladiella ellisii D. Hawksw. 1977
- Roestelia ellisii Peck 1875
- Scindalma ellisianum (F.W. Anderson) Kuntze 1898
- Sciniatosporium ellisii (M.B. Ellis) Morgan-Jones 1971
- Scutiger ellisii (Berk.) Murrill 1903
- Septoria ellisiana Sacc. & P. Syd. 1902
- Septoria ellisii Berl. & Voglino 1886
- Sordaria ellisiana (Griffiths) Sacc. & D. Sacc. 1905
- Sorosporium ellisii G. Winter
- Sphaeropsis ellisii Sacc. 1884
- Sporidesmium ellisii Piroz. 1972
- Sporisorium ellisii (G. Winter) M. Piepenbr. 2003
- Stigmina ellisiana B. Sutton 1972
- Stigmina ellisii M.B. Ellis 1959
- Stigmina pamelae-ellisiae G.P. Agarwal & N.D. Sharma 1974
- Tephrocybe ellisii P.D. Orton 1988
- Tetrabrunneospora ellisii Dyko 1978
- Tetraploa ellisii Cooke 1879
- Tomentella ellisii (Sacc.) Jülich & Stalpers 1980
- Torula ellisii Yadav & Lal 1966
- Trametes ellisiana Henn. 1895
- Tyromyces ellisianus Murrill 1907
- Uromyces ellisianus Henn. 1898
- Volutella ellisii Langl. 1887
- Wettsteinina ellisii M.E. Barr 1972
- Zoophthora ellisiana (Ben Ze'ev) Balazy 1993
- Zygodesmus ellisii Sacc. 1886