Table Of Content

Dr. Robert Geesink (PhotographRuth vanCrevel, 1985) BLUMEA 37 (1993) 265-269 RobertGeesink (1945—1992) On 2September 1992Rob Geesinkdiedaweek before he wouldhavereached the age of47. Hehadbeenassociatedwith theRijksherbarium fromhis studentdays in the sixtiesonwards. For his MScprogrammehesuccessfully revised thePortulaca- ceae for Flora Malesianaand carried out an experimental-ecological study ofthe genusBangia (red algae). In 1971hereceivedhis congratulatory (‘cumlaude’) MSc degree. From1972to 1974hewasexecutivetaxonomistintheThai-Dutchcoopera- tiveproject fortheFloraofThailand, apost duringwhichhemadefourbotanicalex- plorations. In 1976hewas finally appointed onthestaffoftheRijksherbarium, from 1987toearly 1990as ProjectLeaderoftheresearch groupforTropicalPhanerogams. Rob’stalentsandinterestscovered aunique andbroadrange;fromhandy-man to theorist,andfromefficiency improvement inthe dailyroutineofplant collecting and taxonomyto theapplication ofinformationtheory in evolution.As astudentheim- pressed his supervisors Van SteenisandDenHartog, whenhe developed adeviceto shake and aerate algal cultureswith the aidofspare motorcycle parts. Later ‘inven- tions’includedtheuseofabottlecapincombinationwithanelectric cigarette lighter toboilandrehydrate delicateherbariumfragments, a noise-reducing exhaust foren- gines, anda do-it-yourselfaltimeterfortrees. His eyeforthepractical isalsoappar- ent from theenthusiasmwithwhich hetooktheinitiativetoproduce, together with othercolleagues, a fully revised version of Thonner’s ‘Key to the Families of Flowering Plants’, from theproduction ofa punched cardkey to thegeneraofSE AsianLeguminosae, andfromhisanalysis ofpracticalchanges neededtoever com- pleteFlora Malesiana.During his PhD study, initially aimed at a revision ofthe genusMillettia,but latermodified to a generic treatment ofthe tribe Millettieae (‘Scala Millettiearum’,published in 1984), Rob had felt a strongneedfor amore thorough knowledge oftheoretical aspects of systematics, especially of phylo- genetics. Insights developed during broadand intensive background reading were sharedwith students andcolleagues through introductory manualsand in regular reading and discussion circleswhich RobinitiatedbothinLeidenandWageningen, and which are continuedafter his deathwitha nation-wideattendance. In the last yearsRob was especially interestedin thenewly developed theory ofevolutionas anentropic process as wellas in thephilosophy ofsystematic science. Hemustbe given credit forintroducing modern cladistics and historical biogeography tothe Rijksherbarium. As acolleague Rob couldbea very helpful and warmperson, whopicked his friends without prejudice and who had a healthy dislike forthe status factor. His kindness was very real,and hedidnot attemptto showany whenconventionwould 266 BLUMEA Vol. 37, No. 2, 1993 havebeentheonly motive. Theparty hethrewinanold castleontheoccasionofhis PhDwith a MediaevalBreughelian dinnerto be eaten with barehandsand with a teasing jestertoenliven theoccasion illustrateshistastefortheunconventional.His hobbiesranged frommotorcycle technology andstereoscopic photography toclassi- cal, neoromanticmusic. Recordings ofthelatterwere played inhis tenton fieldex- peditions, and some Mahlerand Wagner compositions musthave soundedforthe firsttimeinfar-away forests. Thelastfour years were difficultones. Taking his task as project leaderofthe tropical groupvery seriously and committedtotheaccelerationoftheprogressofthe FloraMalesianaproject, Rob gradually becamedisillusionedby the lack of direct success,and bywhatheconsideredas lack ofsupportfortheintroductionofprofes- sionalresearch management.Theseproblems were compounded by apersonal ambi- valencebetweenfullcommitmentto ademanding Floraprojectontheonehand,and tofundamentalaspects ofsystematics ontheother. Early 1990heresigned as project leader.Late 1991heasked tobereleasedfrom alltaxonomicrevision work on the Papilionoideae, andtomovetotheInstituteofTheoreticalBiology, to devotehimself entirelytophylogenetic andtheoreticalsystematics andevolutionary theory. Discus- sionswere wellunderway tocreate a joint working groupbetween thetworesearch institutionswhen,in June 1992,Robsuffered aseriousbrain haemorrhage whileon vacation.Justbefore hehad been actively preparing his contributionforthe Willy Hennig Symposium in Parislater that summer, to which he had muchlooked for- ward. Robleavesarich inheritancetoall thefieldshetouched inhis versatile,buttoo short professional life. His ideas on systematics and evolutionare carried forwardby a numberofstudents andcolleagues. His earliercontributionsto taxonomyandplant identificationwillalsoremainoflong-lasting value,andthePapilionaceae treatment forFloraMalesianawill beonthesoundbasisofallthepreparatorywork hehadin- vestedinthefamily. Lettersreceivedfromfriends andcolleagues allover theworld, followinghis death,testify tohis helpfulandkindheartednature. TheRijksherbarium andInstituteofTheoreticalBiology are greatly indebtedto himforhis contributions toresearch, teaching, collectionmanagementandto general awareness. Our sympathy goes to his wifeDiaand his three childrenWillem, Anne-Hess and Janna. PieterBaas& RinoZandee Eponymy: — Xanthopbyllum geesinkii R. van der Meijden— In:Leiden Bot.Ser. 7 (1982) 95. — Geesinkorchis de Vogel—In:Orchid Monographs1 (1986)43. — Argostemma geesinkiiB. Bremer—In: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 76 (1) (1989)25. — Cyrtandra geesinkianaB.L.Bum —In:EdinburghJ.Bot. 47 (3) (1990)214. BibliographyofR. Geesink 267 BIBLIOGRAPHYOF R.GEESINK 1969 An account ofthe genusPortulacain Indo-Australia and thePacific (Portulacaceae).—Blumea 17: 275-301,4 figs. DeidentiteitvanPortulaca advenaReichg.&Poell. —Gorteria 4: 189-191, 1 fig. 1970 Duabangataylorii Jayaweera(Sonneratiaceae),aputative hybrid.—Blumea 18:453-456, 1 fig. 1971 Portulacaceae. —In:Flora MalesianaI,7: 121-133,6 figs. 1972 Anewspecies ofLangsdorffia(Balanophoraceae)from NewGuinea.—ActaBot.Neerl.21: 102- 106, 1 fig. Twonewspecies ofSwertia(Gentianaceae) fromN. Sumatra. —Blumea 20: 132. 1973 Asynopsis ofthegenus Swertia(Gentianaceae)inMalesia. —Blumea 21: 179-183. Experimentalinvestigationsonmarine and freshwaterBangia(Rhodophyta)fromthe Netherlands. — J.Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 11:239-247. 1975 Reportonthe Thai-Dutch Botanical Expedition 16April-5 August 1973.—Nat Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 25 (3-4): 45-51. Preliminaryinventorial study oftwoplots ofdryDipterocarpforestsnearBoLuang(ChiengMai), Thailand. —Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 25: 205-207. Portulacaceae. —In: FloraofThailandII,3: 268-273. MontiafontanaL.—PacificPlantAreas 3:272-273,map 184. 1976 Aprovisionalkey tothegenera and somespecies ofthe S.E.AsiaticLeguminosae-Faboideae(Pa- pilionaceae). —Fl.Males. Misc. Rec. IV. Leiden. 1,27 pp. (mimeographed). Index to the families in some S.E. Asiatic Floras (mainly the incompleteones). Rijksherbarium, Leiden, 10pp. (mimeographed). 1978 Keyto the genera and somespecies oftheS.E. Asiatic Leguminosae-Faboideae(Papilionaceae). Rijksherbarium,Leiden, 15pp. 1979 (withP.Baas,W.A.van Heel & J.Muller) The affinities ofPlagiopteronsuaveolens Griff.(Plagio- pteraceae).—Grana 18: 69-89,7 figs. (with A.J.M. Leeuwenberg,C.E. Ridsdale & J.F.Veldkamp) Thonner's Analytical Key to the Families ofFloweringPlants. Provisional Version. Leiden, 173pp. (mimeographed). 268 BLUMEA Vol. 37, No. 2, 1993 1980 (withA.J.P.de Haas & M.T.M.Bosman) Urariopsisreduced toUraria (Leguminosae-Papilio- noideae).—Blumea 26: 439-444,2 figs., 1table. 1981 (withA.J.M. Leeuwenberg, C.E. Ridsdale & J.F. Veldkamp)Thonner's Analytical Key to the Families ofFloweringPlants. PUDOC /LUP. Wageningen-Leiden,xxvi+ 231 pp., 3pis., 1 photo. (withJ.F.Veldkamp)HI-IAPTPortraits ofbotanists. 98: Franz Thonner. — Taxon 30 (4): 878, 1 photo. Tephrosieae.—In:R.M.Polhill&P.H.Raven (eds.), Advances in LegumeSystematics 1:245- 260, 3 figs. Proposal to conserve Millettia W.& A. andrevise the conservation ofPongamiaVent.(Legumino- sae-Papilionoidae).—Taxon 30: 327-329. 1982 (withL.M.R.Nanhoe)Punch-card key to thegenera ofS.E. Asiatic Leguminosaefor vegetative andfruitingmaterial. Provisional version.Rijksherbarium, Leiden. A do-it-yourselfaltimeter fortrees. —Fl.Males. Bull. 35: 3783-3784. 1983 American Derris,relictorLonchocarpus?—ActaBot.Neerl. 32: 117-118 (withR.W.Lekkerkerk & A.Vreeke)Montia fontanaL.in Nederland. — Gorteria 11: 199-205, 2 figs. 1984 Scala Millettiearum. A survey ofthegenera ofthe tribe Millettieae (Legum.-Pap.)with methodo- logicalconsiderations.Brill /LUP,Leiden,iii + 131pp. Leiden Botanical Series 8. Proposal to addErebinthustothe nominarejicenda3718Tephrosia, nom. cons (Legum.-Pap.).— Taxon 33:742 Proposalto conserve BrachypterumagainstSolori (Leg.-Pap.).—Taxon 33:742-743. ProposaltoconserveLonchocarpusagainstMuellera (Leg.-Pap.).—Taxon33: 743-744. 1985 Bookreview: V. V.Sivarajan, Introduction toprincipes ofplanttaxonomy.New Delhi, 1984,295 pp. —Fl.Males. Bull. 38: 190-192. Relatie tussenfrequentieenbedekkingbijopnamenin niet-homogenevegetaties. —Gorteria 12(7): 153-155. 1986 (withM. Sanjappa)Proposal toreject Humboltia Ruiz & Pavon (Orch.) in favour of3518 Hum- boldtia Vahl (Legum.-Caes.).—Taxon 35: 180-181. Derris elliptica (Sweet) Bentham.—In:E. Westphal& P.C.M.Jansen (eds.),Plantresources of South-EastAsia. Proposalforahandbook: 33-35. PUDOC, Wageningen. Evolutiein eenentropisch proces.—Vakbl.Biol. 66(18): 381-383. Bookreview: D.R. Brooks & E.O.Wiley, Evolution asentropy:towards aunified theoryofbiol- ogy. Univ. ChicagoPress, xiv, 335 pp. —Taxon 35: 905-907. BibliographyofR. Geesink 269 1987 (with M.Zandee)Phylogeneticsand legumes:adesire forthe impossible?—In: C.H. Stirton (ed.), Advancesin LegumeSystematics 3: 131-167. Introduction: ix-x.- Structure ofkeys for identification: 77-90. - Theoryofclassification ofor- ganisms: 91-126.—In:E.F. deVogel (ed.), Manual ofHerbarium Taxonomy.UNESCO / ROSTSEA/MAB,Jakarta. 1989 (withD.J.Kornet)Speciation and Malesian Leguminosae.—In:L.B.Holm-Nielsen,I.C.Nielsen &H. Balslev(eds.),TropicalForests.Botanical dynamics, speciationanddiversity: 135-151, 5figs. Academic Press,London. 1990 (withP.Baas & C.Kalkman [eds.])Theplantdiversity ofMalesia. ProceedingsoftheFlora Male- siana Symposium commemoratingProfessor Dr. C.G.G.J, van Steenis. Kluwer Academic Publishers,Dordrecht, xxi +420pp. The generalprogress ofFlora Malesiana. —In: P.Baas, C. Kalkman & R.Geesink (eds.), The plantdiversity ofMalesia. ProceedingsoftheFlora Malesiana Symposiumcommemorating Professor Dr. C.G.G.J.vanSteenis: 11-16.Kluwer AcademicPublishers, Dordrecht. (editor)Resultsofthe workshop"The futureofFlora Malesiana". —Fl.Males.Bull.,Special vol. 1: 60pp. (withW.L. Wagner& D.R. Herbst) Fam. 47Fabaceae - Peafamily. —In:W.L.Wagner, D.R. Herbst & S.H.Sohmer, Manual oftheFloweringPlants ofHawaii 1:629-716,pis. 86-97. University ofHawaii Press (BishopMuseum SpecialPublication 83). C.W.J. Lut