William Tyrer Gerrard
Encyclopedia
William Tyrer Gerrard was an English botanical
collector in Natal
and Madagascar
in the 1860s. The genus
Gerrardanthus
is named in his honor.
Gerrard was born in Knowsley, Merseyside, England
, and died at age 34 or 35 of yellow fever
in July, 1866, in Foulepointe (now Mahavelona
), Madagascar
. He was active as a botanical collector in Australia
and then Natal
, where he first collected several genera
and over 150 previously unknown species
, and from which he sent a stuffed aardvark
to the Free Public Library, Derby Museum. He left Natal in April 1865 for coastal Madagascar, where he made large collections of plants, insects, and birds, before succumbing to illness. He last bequest of specimens to Derby Museum in Liverpool was in 1867.
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
collector in Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
in the 1860s. The genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Gerrardanthus
Gerrardanthus
Gerrardanthus is a genus of flowering plants native to tropical Africa and South Africa, first described by William Henry Harvey , and named in honor of William Tyrer Gerrard , botanical collector in Natal and Madagascar in the 1860s.Gerrardanthus is a perennial climber, with height up to 5 meters,...
is named in his honor.
Gerrard was born in Knowsley, Merseyside, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and died at age 34 or 35 of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
in July, 1866, in Foulepointe (now Mahavelona
Mahavelona
Mahavelona , town in Fivondronana Toamasina II, in the autonomous province of Toamasina, on the northern part of the east coast of Madagascar....
), Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. He was active as a botanical collector in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and then Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
, where he first collected several genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
and over 150 previously unknown species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, and from which he sent a stuffed aardvark
Aardvark
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
to the Free Public Library, Derby Museum. He left Natal in April 1865 for coastal Madagascar, where he made large collections of plants, insects, and birds, before succumbing to illness. He last bequest of specimens to Derby Museum in Liverpool was in 1867.