André Joseph Guillaume Henri Kostermans

Dr. André Joseph Guillaume Henri 'Doc' Kostermans (1 July, 1906—10 July, 1994) was a botanist. He was born in Purworejo, Java, Dutch East Indies, and educated at Utrecht University, taking his doctoral degree in 1936 with a paper on Surinamese Lauraceae.

He spent most of his professional life studying the plants of southeastern Asia, settled at Buitenzorg, later Bogor, Indonesia. At an early stage in his career he also contributed a number of family treatments to Pulle's "Flora of Suriname". Kostermans was especially interested in Lauraceae, Malvales (Bombacaceae and Sterculiaceae), and Dipterocarpaceae. In recent years he turned his attention to Asian Anacardiaceae. He was a productive worker and published extensively on these and other groups.

The genus "Kostermansia" Soegeng, of the family Bombacaceae, and the species "Cryptocarya kostermansiana" C.K. Allen, were named in his honour.

Kostermans suffered a heart attack in March 1991, but his letter to his friend written in April 1991 stated "some writing (including) putting the finishing touch to a fat manuscript on the Mango species (69 species) ... If I am lucky I shall have a chance to see it." Kostermans did live to see it published by Academic Press in 1993. He died in Indonesia in 1994.

References

* [http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/ASPT/newsletter09_1.html ASPT NEWSLETTER 9(1) January 1995] URL accessed 26 March 2006.

External links

* [http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/fmcollectors/k/KostermansAJGH.htm Nationaal Herbarium Nederland: André Joseph Guillaume Henri Kostermans]
* [http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9679732 Image of grave]