Scott Alan Mori (1941—2020): An Appreciation

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.