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The last plant hunting expedition of David Fairchild: Venezuela and Colombia (March–April 1948)

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Abstract

In March and April 1948, David Fairchild undertook a plant hunting expedition to Venezuela and Colombia. His wife, Marian, accompanied him on this, his last official plant exploration endeavor. A total of 62 plant samples (41 from Venezuela and 21 from Colombia) were collected. In addition, 55 photographs (41 from Venezuela and 14 from Colombia) were taken during this trip. A review of the objectives and results of this expedition is provided, based primarily on archival documents found in Miami (the Archives and Library of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden). The Swiss tropical botanist Henri François Pittier was instrumental in the development of field activities in Venezuela. There, David Fairchild extensively interacted with Pittier’s disciples and with several foreign naturalists who were working for the Venezuelan government in agriculture and natural resource programs. The Colombian component of this expedition had a more limited scope, among other reasons because the visit coincided with major street demonstrations following the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, who was running as a candidate for the country’s presidency.

Resumen

En marzo y abril de 1948, David Fairchild realizó actividades de exploración vegetal en Venezuela y Colombia. Su esposa, Marian, le acompañó en la que fue su última campaña oficial botánica de recolección. Durante este viaje se obtuvieron un total de 62 muestras de plantas (41 de Venezuela y 21 de Colombia). Además se tomaron 55 fotografías (41 de Venezuela y 14 de Colombia). En este trabajo se hace una revisión de los objetivos y resultados de esta expedición. El mismo se basa principalmente en documentos de archivo que se encuentran en Miami (el Archivo y Biblioteca del Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden). El botánico tropical suizo Henri François Pittier fue instrumental en el desarrollo de las actividades de campo en Venezuela. En este país, David Fairchild interactuó de forma amplia con los discípulos de Pittier y con varios naturalistas extranjeros que trabajaban para el gobierno de Venezuela en programas de agricultura y recursos naturales. La labor de campo en Colombia tuvo un alcance más limitado, entre otras razones porque la visita coincidió con manifestaciones y protestas callejeras que sucedieron tras el asesinato de Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, quien se postulaba como candidato a la presidencia del país.

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Acknowledgments

We dedicate this paper to our colleague Prof. David Lee from Florida International University in recognition of his contributions to tropical botany. The following people provided guidance, help, and insights: Amalia Mutis, Beatrice Häsler, Brígida Pittier, Carlos Pittier, Dainel Sarmiento, David Jones, Emilio Pittier, María Elena Pittier, Ernesto Medina, Gaby Orihuela, Helga Lindorf, Leyda Rodríguez, Luisa V. Pérez, and Thomas W. Baumann. Carol Dietrick, Joe Dietrick, and Louise Bennett helped with the transcription of field notes from David Fairchild, and the team of volunteers working in the Archives and Library of FTBG kindly scanned the original photos that were taken during this expedition. Eleanor Lahn copyedited the manuscript. Andrew Henderson, Fred Stauffer, and Scott Zona helped with the taxonomic identification of palms. Susan Fraser and Stephen Sinon helped us locate relevant documents in the archive and library of New York Botanical Garden. This is contribution number 309 from the Tropical Biology Program of Florida International University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kushlan Tropical Science Institute, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler, Coral Gables, FL, 33183, U.S.A.

    Nancy Korber, Janet Mosely, Brett Jestrow, Carl Lewis & Javier Francisco-Ortega

  2. Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apartado 20632, Caracas, 1020A, Venezuela

    Jafet M. Nassar

  3. International Center for Tropical Botany, Latin American and Caribbean Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park, Miami, FL, 33199, U.S.A.

    Javier Francisco-Ortega

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  1. Nancy Korber
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  2. Jafet M. Nassar
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  3. Janet Mosely
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  4. Brett Jestrow
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  5. Carl Lewis
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  6. Javier Francisco-Ortega
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Correspondence to Javier Francisco-Ortega.

Electronic supplementary material

Electronic supplementary material (Tables S1, S2, S3, S4) available online at http://www.fairchildgarden.org/about-fairchild/mission-history/archive-collections. A hardcopy is also available at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Library.

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Korber, N., Nassar, J.M., Mosely, J. et al. The last plant hunting expedition of David Fairchild: Venezuela and Colombia (March–April 1948). Brittonia 68, 170–186 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-015-9406-0

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