Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 30, 2026

José Cuatrecasas

José Cuatrecasas (1903–1996) was a Spanish botanist. He was born on March 19, 1903, in Camprodon, Catalonia, Spain.

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José Cuatrecasas
Cuatrecasas in the 1970s
Born1903 (1903)
Died1996 (aged 92–93)
OccupationBotanist
Scientific career
Cuatrec.

José Cuatrecasas (1903–1996) was a Spanish botanist. He was born on March 19, 1903, in Camprodon, Catalonia, Spain.

His research focused on the high-elevation páramo and sub-páramo regions of the Andes Mountains in South America, especially the flowering plant families Asteraceae and Malpighiaceae. He played an important role in the founding of the Organization for Flora Neotropica.1

In 1997, the Smithsonian Institution established the José Cuatrecasas Botanical Fund to "support significant research projects that emulate the spirit of the research of José Cuatrecasas". The Smithsonian also awards a José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany annually.

Honors

Multiple plant species have been named for him, including Narcissus cuatrecasasii , Joseanthus cuatrecasasii, Pradosia cuatrecasasii, and Tessmannianthus quadridomius (where "quadridomius" is Latin for "cuatre casas").2

Sources

Sources

  • Kirkbride, Ma Cristina Garcia. "José Cuatrecasas (1903-1996)". Taxon, Vol. 46, No. 1 (February 1997), pp. 132–134.
  • "Botanical Endowment at Smithsonian", Biological Conservation Newsletter, No. 170 (August 1997)
External links
References

References

  1. Forero, Enrique; Mori, Scott (1995). "The Organization for Flora Neotropica". Brittonia. 47 (4): 379–393. Bibcode:1995Britt..47..379F. doi:10.2307/2807566. ISSN 0007-196X. JSTOR 2807566.
  2. Curiosities of Biological Taxonomy: Etymology: People, compiled by Mark Isaak; published February 26, 2015; retrieved March 18, 2015
  3. International Plant Names Index. Cuatrec.