Edwin B. Copeland | |
|---|---|
 Edwin Copeland, circa 1910 | |
| Born | (1873-09-30)September 30, 1873 |
| Died | March 16, 1964(1964-03-16) (aged 90) |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Alma mater | Stanford University University of Halle |
| Known for | Founding theUniversity of the Philippines College of Agriculture; study of ferns |
| Spouse | Ethel Faulkner Copeland |
| Children | Herbert Copeland |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany Agriculture |
| Institutions | University of the Philippines Los Baños University of California, Berkeley |
| Thesis | thesis on the influence of light and temperature on turgor (1896) |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Copel. |
Edwin Bingham Copeland (September 30, 1873 – March 16, 1964) was an American botanist and agriculturist.[1] He is known for founding theUniversity of the Philippines College of Agriculture atLos Baños, Laguna and for being one of the America's leadingpteridologists (one who studies ferns).[2]
In 1903, he and his family moved to the Philippines, where he worked as a Systematic Botanist for the Bureau of Science.[2] In 1909, he founded theUniversity of the Philippines College of Agriculture atLos Baños, Laguna, now part of theUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños, and served as its dean and also as a professor ofplant physiology for eight years (1909–1917). In 1917, he returned to the United States and was a leading rice grower inChico, California.[2] In 1927, he began work as an Associate Curator at theUniversity of California, Berkeley. In 1931, he worked for theDepartment of Agriculture of the Philippines, retiring in 1935.[2] After retiring he returned to UC Berkeley and became a permanent Research Associate of the Department of Biology of the University of California.[2] He is best known among American botanists for this latter period at UC.[2] He was elected an Honorary Member of theAmerican Fern Society in 1948.
During his career he described 35 newgenera and some 600 new species offerns.[2] His personalherbarium totaled approximately 25,000 species and is now at theUniversity of Michigan Herbarium.[2][3] He wrote numerous articles and several books including "Elements of Philippine Agriculture" (1908), "The Coconut" (three editions, 1914, 1921, and 1931), "Rice" (1924), "Fern" (1964) and "Natural Conduct" (1928), a book on practical ethics.[2] He issued theexsiccataPteridophyta Philippinensia exsiccata (c. 1920).[4] In a letter during his final months, a friend C.V. Morton wrote, "You have the consolation of knowing that your name is in constant use by fern students the world over."[2] The fungus genusCopelandia was named after him.
On August 8, 1899, Copeland and partner E. N. Henderson were the first climbers known to reach summit ofJunction Peak, athirteener in theSierra Nevada mountains of California.
His father was the zoologist Herbert Edson Copeland (1849–1876) and he was the father of biologistHerbert Copeland. He was married to Ethel Faulkner Copeland.
The standardauthor abbreviationCopel. is used to indicate this person as the author whenciting abotanical name.[5]
The following species of plants are named after him:
