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ScholarSpace at University of Hawaii at Manoa >
Although he continued to teach at UH during most of the WWII years, he was granted a leave of absence for work with the Foreign Economic Administration. He led a scientific team to the jungles of Colombia in search of Cinchona trees. The war had disrupted ordinary supply lines for the malaria drug quinine, and the Colombia trees were seen an alternate source of the bark from which quinine is made. St. John reported that his team harvested 60,000 tons of bark. After the war, under the auspices of the US Atomic Energy Commission, St. John investigated the effects of radiation on vegetation. St. John's speciality was systematic botany, the classification of higher plants. He is especially known for his work for discovering some 500 new species of pandanus. He was a prolific writer, and published over 400 articles in addition to several books. His best known book, one considered a classic, is List and Summary of the Flowering Plants of the Hawaiian Islands. During the course of his adventurous life, he traveled extensively on botanical expeditions throughout the Pacific islands, and was one of several UH scientists who, following WWII, opened the Pacific islands to modern scientific discoveries. He taught at various colleges, including the College of Hue in Vietnam from 1959-61, after his retirement from the University of Hawaii as well as continuing his botanical work at the Bishop Museum. University photo by Masao Miyamoto. Reference
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Recent SubmissionsThe Taxonomic Position and the Scientific Name of the Big Tree known as Sequoia gigantea The Taxonomic Position and the Scientific Name of the Big Tree known as Sequoia gigantea Review of Mrs. Sinclair's "Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands": Hawaiian Plant Studies 23 Review of Mrs. Sinclair's "Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands": Hawaiian Plant Studies 23
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Professor of Botany PhD 1920, Harvard University More than 400 articles published. Guide to the St. John Papers Search UH Library |
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