Richard Eric Holttum

Richard Eric Holttum (20 July 189518 September 1990) was an English botanist and writer.

Early life Holttum was born 20 July 1895 in Cambridgeshire, England, to English store owners of Quaker faith. York. He studied at the University of Cambridge.

Career Having received botanical training, Holttum was given the role of assistant director at the Singapore Botanical Gardens in 1922, with the guidance of Isaac Henry Burkill. He founded the Malayan Orchid Society (now Orchid Society of South East Asia) in 1928.

In 1975 the British Pteridological Society dedicated an edition of The Fern Gazette to celebrate his Eightieth birthday, and the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society published eight short addresses about his life. The Flora Malesiana Bulletin published his autobiography, a bibliography of his publications, and a list of 27 plants dedicated to him.

There are at least 23 species of plant named after him, with epithets of holttumii or holttumianus. Also in 1924, Holttumia was published, which is a genus of fungi in the family Xylariaceae. Then published in 1964, Rehia which is a genus of plants in the grass family. Then in 1964, Holttumochloa which is a genus of Malaysian bamboos also in the Poaceae family and native to the hill forests of Peninsular Malaysia.

He received many awards, including the Gold Medal of the American Orchid Society (1963), the OSSEA Fellowship from the Orchid Society of South East Asia (1963), and the Linnean Medal from the Linnean Society (1964).

Death Spending some time at the Kew Gardens to work, Holttum died 18 September 1990 in Roehampton, London, aged 95.