Beccari, Odoardo
Dates: (1834-1920)
Abbreviation: Becc.
A florentine orphan who attended school in near by Lucca with the Abbot, Ignazio Mezzetti, a keen natural historian as his mentor. Whilst still a student at The University of Pisa, he became the assistant to the Professor before moving on to complete his degree under Antonio Bertoloni at Bologna. After graduating, he planned an expedition to N.Borneo (Sarawak) with Marquis Giacomo Doria, a Genoan naturalist and explorer. In order to prepare for this, he came to Kew and The British Museum in London to study the collections. He met the Raja of Sarawak, Sir James Brooke, who promised to help. He made three journeys to historical ?Malesia?: 1865-1868, 1871-1876 and 1877-1878. He contributed almost 9500 specimens to the Florence Herbarium and is best known as a palm specialist. He also sent ferns from Borneo to Mrs Katharine Murray Lyell by Mrs McDougall, wife of the Bishop of Labuan. Mrs Leyll’s herbarium was presented to The University of Reading in 1925.
Author of Biography: S.L. Jury
Biographical references:
Cucuini, P. & Nepi, C., 1999. Herbarium Centrale Italicum (Phanerogannic Section): The main collections….: 41-43. Firenze: Università di Firenze.
Selected references:
Beccari, O., 1877-1890. Malesia roccolta di osservazioni botanici intorno alle piante dell’arcipelago indo-malese….3 vols. Firenze-Roma: Fratelli Bencini.
Beccari, O., 1912 [-1914]. Palme de madagascar… Firenze: Instituto micrografico Italiano.
Added: April 8th 2004
