Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Scott Alan Mori (1941—2020): An Appreciation

  • Published:
The Botanical Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Scott Alan Mori (1941—2020) was among the most distinguished and prolific botanists in the 129-year history of The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). He spent nearly 40 years of his career at NYBG before retiring in 2014 as Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany, and then serving as Curator Emeritus until his death on August 12, 2020. Over the course of his career he collected more than 27,000 herbarium specimens, described and named 125 new taxa, had at least 70 new taxa named in his honor, wrote more than 130 scientific papers and dozens of popular articles and blog posts, authored or edited 18 books or monographs, and was the major professor for 11 graduate students. His decades of professional accomplishments brought him many of the most prestigious awards in botany. He was awarded the Engler Medal in Silver from the International Association of Plant Taxonomy for the best publication in systematic botany in 2002. He received the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration in 2007 from the National Tropical Botanical Garden. He won the Asa Gray Award in 2007 from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. This article examines the multi-faceted legacy of Scott Mori as a great neotropical plant explorer, botanical scholar, author, educator, mentor, conservationist, colleague, and friend. This article also reviews the places that he visited, the projects on which he worked, and the people with whom he collaborated, with appreciative commentaries provided by some of the many individuals he profoundly influenced over the years.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. https://www.botany.org/Profiles/Scott_Mori.php

  2. Panama: The Biological Bridge of the Americas, A History of the Discovery of its Plants by Thomas B. Croat, September 4, 2018. Slides 31 and 32. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/staff/PDFs/croat/PanamaBiologicalBridgeOfAmericas08_31_2018FINAL%281%29edits.pdf.

  3. Mori, S.A., A. Berkov, C.A. Gracie, and E.F. Hecklau (Editors). 2016. Tropical plant collecting: from the field to the internet. Bronx, New York, USA: New York Botanical Garden Press, 332 pages

References

  • Aguilar, R., X. Cornejo, D. S. Aguilar, M. Tulig & C. Bainbridge & S. A. Mori. 2017 onward. Vascular Plants of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/projects/osa/). The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

  • Buck, W. R. 2003. Guide to the plants of central French Guiana. Part 3. Mosses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76(3): 1-167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cornejo, X., S. A. Mori, R. Aguilar, H. Stevens, and F. Douwes. 2012. Phytogeography of the trees of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. Brittonia 64(1): 76-101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croat, T. B. and J. Moonen. 2007. Philodendron scottmorianum, a new species of P. sect. Philodendron (Araceae) from the Guianas. Willdenowia 37(2): 535—539; figs. 1-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, J., S. Mori & A. Berkov. 2007. Saproflorivory: a diverse community in fallen flowers of Lecythidaceae in French Guiana. Biotropica 39(4): 549-554.

  • Feinstein, J., K. L. Purzycki, S. A. Mori, V. Hequet & A. Berkov. 2008. Neotropical soldier flies in French Guiana: do bat-pollinated flowers attract saprophiles. J. Torr. Bot. Soc. 135(2): 200-207.

  • Gradstein, S. R. and A. L. Ilkiu-Borges. 2009. Guide to the plants of central French Guiana. Part 4. Liverworts and Hornworts. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76(4): 1-140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knudsen, J. & S. A. Mori. 1996. Floral scents and pollination in neotropical Lecythidaceae. Biotropica 28(1): 42-60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance, W.; J. L.C. Camargo; R. C.C. Luizão; S. G. Laurance; S. L. Pimm; E. M. Bruna; P. C. Stouffer; G. B. Williamson; J. Benítez-Malvido; H. L. Vasconcelos; K. S. Van Houtan; C. E. Zartman; S. A. Boyle; R. K. Didham; A. Andrade; T. E. Lovejoy. 2011. The fate of Amazonian forest fragments: A 32-year investigation. Biological Conservation 144: 56–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lobova, T. A. & S. A. Mori. 2004. Epizoochorous dispersal by bats in French Guiana. J. Trop. Ecol. 20: 581-582

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • --------, C. K. Geiselman & S. A. Mori. 2009. Seed Dispersal by Bats in the Neotropics. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 101: 1-471, 32 color plates.

    Google Scholar 

  • --------, S. A. Mori, F. Blanchard, H. Peckham & P. Charles-Dominique. 2003. Cecropia as a food resource for bats in French Guiana and the significance of fruit structure in seed dispersal and longevity. Amer. J. Bot. 90(3): 388-403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mori, S. A. 1992. Eschweilera pseudodecolorans (Lecythidaceae), a new species from central Amazonian Brazil. Brittonia 44(2): 244-246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • -------- 1995. Lecythidaceae. Pages 66-73 in M. Nee, Flora preliminar do Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais (PDBFF). New York Botanical Garden and INPA/Smithsonian Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais.

  • -------- 2000. Fungal and plant diversity of Central French Guiana. A site dedicated to the fungi and plants of central French Guiana. (http://www.nybg.org/bsci/french_guiana/french_guiana/french_guiana.html). The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

  • -------- 24 January 2013a. The future of tropical forests. Plant Talk of The New York Botanical Garden (http://www.nybg.org/plant-talk/2013/01/science/the-future-of-tropical-forests-inthe-new-world/).

  • -------- 21 February 2013b. Illustrating the botanical world. Plant Talk of The New York Botanical Garden. (http://www.nybg.org/plant-talk/2013/02/science/illustrating-the-botanicalworld/).

  • -------- 2017. Reinaldo Aguilar. A Friend of the Plants of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. Plant Talk of The New York Botanical Garden. November 13, 2017. (https://www.nybg.org/blogs/science-talk/2017/11/reinaldo-aguilar-friend-plants-costa-ricas-osa-peninsula/).

  • -------- & L. A. Mattos Silva. 1980. O herbário do Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau em Itabuna Brasil. Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau. Boletim Técnico 78: 1-31.

  • -------- & G. T. Prance [wood anatomy by C. de Zeeuw]. 1990. Lecythidaceae--Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(II): 1-376.

  • -------- & N. Lepsch-Cunha. 1995. Lecythidaceae of a central Amazonian moist forest. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 75: 1-55.

  • -------- & J.-J. de Granville. 1997. Saül region: French Guiana. Pages 316-318 in S. D. Davis, V. H. Heywood, O. Herrera-MacBryde, J. Villa-Lobos & A. C. Hamilton, Centres of Plant Diversity: A guide and strategy for their conservation. Volume 3: The Americas. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and IUCN - The World Conservation Union.

  • -------- & M. Rothman. 2003 onward. Paintings representing the work of systematic botanists at The New York Botanical Garden. http://www.botanypages.org/mori/Curator_paintings/paintings_home.htm.

  • -------- & R. F. Naczi. 2015 onward. Plants and Fungi of the Westchester Wilderness Walk/Zofnass Family Preserve. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/wlt/index.php).

  • --------, G. T. Prance & A. B. Bolten. 1978. Additional notes on the floral biology of Neotropical Lecythidaceae. Brittonia 30: 113-130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • --------, J. E. Orchard & G. T. Prance. 1980. Intrafloral pollen differentiation in the New World Lecythidaceae, subfamily Lecythidoideae. Science 209: 400-403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • --------, B. M. Boom, A. M. de Carvalho & T. S. dos Santos 1983. Southern Bahian moist forests. Bot. Rev. (Lancaster) 49(2): 155-232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • -------- & collaborators. 1987. The Lecythidaceae of a lowland Neotropical forest: La Fumée Mountain, French Guiana. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 44: 1-190.

  • --------, B. V. Rabelo, Chih-Hua Tsou & D. Daly. 1989. Composition and structure of an eastern Amazonian forest at Camaipi, Amapá, Brazil. Bol. Mus. Paraense Hist. Nat. 5(1): 3- 18.

    Google Scholar 

  • --------, G. Cremers, C. Gracie, J.-J. de Granville, M. Hoff & J. D. Mitchell. 1997. Guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana. Part 1. Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, and Monocotyledons. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76(1): 1-422, pls. 1-72.

    Google Scholar 

  • --------, C. A. Gracie & J. D. Mitchell. 1998. Écotourisme et protection du patrimoine naturel dans le centre de la Guyane Française. JATBA, Revue d'Ethnobiologie 40(1-2): 299-310.

    Google Scholar 

  • --------, P. Becker & D. Kincaid. 2001. Lecythidaceae of a central Amazonian lowland forest. Implications for conservation. Pp. 54-67. In: R. O. Bierregaard, Jr., C. Gascon, T. E. Lovejoy & R. C. G. Mesquita (eds.). Lessons from Amazonia. The ecology and conservation of a fragmented forest. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven & London.

    Google Scholar 

  • --------, G. Cremers, C. Gracie, J.-J. de Granville, S. V. Heald, M. Hoff & J. D. Mitchell. 2002. Guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana. Part 2. Dicotyledons. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76(2): 1-776, pls. 1-128.

    Google Scholar 

  • --------, M. Tulig, J.-J. de Granville, S. Gonzalez & V. Guerin. 15 Dec 2007 onward. French Guiana e-Flora Project. The New York Botanical Garden and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/fg/).

  • --------, W. R. Buck, C. A. Gracie & M. Tulig. 2007 onward. Plants and Lichens of Saba (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/saba/). Virtual Herbarium of The New York Botanical Garden.

  • --------, N. P. Smith, X. Cornejo, & G. T. Prance. 18 March 2010 onward. The Lecythidaceae Pages (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/lp/index.php). The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

  • Oliveira, A. A. de & S. A. Mori. 1999. A central Amazonian terra firme forest. I. High tree species richness on poor soils. Biodiversity and Conservation 8: 1219-1244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prance, G. T. & S. A. Mori. 1977. What is Lecythis? Taxon 26: 209-222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • -------- & S. A. Mori. 1978. Observations on the fruit and seeds of Neotropical Lecythidaceae. Brittonia 30: 21-33.

  • -------- & S. A. Mori. 1979. Lecythidaceae--Part I. The actinomorphic-flowered New World Lecythidaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21: 1-270.

  • -------- & S. A. Mori. 1998. Pollination and dispersal of neotropical Lecythidaceae. Pages 13-27 in H.C.F. Hopkins, C.R. Huxley, C.M. Pannell, G.T. Prance & F. White (eds.), The Biological Monograph. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

  • Tavakilian, G., A. Berkov, B. Meurer-Grimes & S. A. Mori. 1997. Neotropical tree species and their faunas of xylophagous longicorns (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in French Guiana. Bot. Rev. (Lancaster) 63(4): 3-55.

Download references

Availability of data and material (data transparency)

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA

    Brian M. Boom

Authors
  1. Brian M. Boom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Not applicable.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian M. Boom.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Not applicable.

Ethics approval (include appropriate approvals or waivers)

Not applicable.

Consent to participate (include appropriate statements)

Not applicable.

Consent for publication (include appropriate statements)

Not applicable.

Code availability (software application or custom code)

Not applicable

Supplementary Information

ESM 1

(DOCX 31 kb)

ESM 2

(DOCX 33 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Boom, B.M. Scott Alan Mori (1941—2020): An Appreciation. Bot. Rev. 86, 149–179 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-020-09232-0

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-020-09232-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation