Lamoureux, Charles H.

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/556

A native of Rhode Island, Lamoureux received his bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Rhode Island. He came to Hawai'i and completed a master's degree at UHM and later earned his PhD in botany from the University of California at Davis in 1961. He joined the UH faculty in 1959.

Through his 41-year span at the University, Lamoureux held many administrative roles, from Chair of the Botany Department to associate dean for academic affairs in the UHM Colleges of Arts and Sciences. From 1992 until his death (2000), he served as Director of the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's botanical garden. Nestled in Manoa Valley, the arboretum is a research unit of the University and aims to develop new plants for Hawaiian gardens as well as rescue some of Hawai'i's rarest varieties from extinction. It also has an education program that offers noncredit classes to students ranging in age from 5 to 90.

As a researcher, he did field work in American Samoa, Bali, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. A world authority on plants, Lamoureux was consultant to such agencies as the Hawai'i State Department of Business and Economic Development, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He wrote more than 50 scientific papers on botanical subjects and was a member of several professional and scientific societies. "He was a fabulous botanist and just so knowledgeable of all kinds of plants - I'll miss his personality and tremendous in-depth knowledge in Hawaiian plants and systems," UHM Botany Department Chair Sterling Keeley said. "It's an especially great loss to us."

"He was like an encyclopedia to you, you could always go there to get the answers," she added. Among the thousands of students Lamoureux taught through the years, several have become botanists. His more famous students, each of whom learned something about Hawaiian plants in his courses, include former Hawai'i Superintendent of Education Herman Aizawa, Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono and Hawaiian musician Sistah Robi Kahakalau.

"Through his work on various conservation and environmental committees, and through the thousands of students who learned their botany and natural history from him, his influence has been felt worldwide," said Lyon Arboretum colleague Ray Baker.

Professor Charles H. Lamoureux died in 2000. He was 67. Charles H. Lamoureux Fellowship in Plant Conservation was established in his honor.

News

Dr. Charles H. Lamoureux
Professor of Botany (1959-2000)
PhD Botany 1961, University of California at Davis

Student Mentoring: 11 PhD, 20 MS students

UH News (Obituary)

Charles H. Lamoureux Fellowship in Plant Conservation

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    Phenology and growth of Hawaiian plants, a preliminary report
    (Island Ecosystems IRP, U.S. International Biological Program, 1973-06) Lamoureux, Charles H.
    Observations on phenology and growth of several Hawaiian plants between January 1971 and June 1972 are presented. Most species exhibit some seasonality in flowering, fruiting, flushing, and (at least in deciduous species) leaf fall. Most phenophases show single annual peaks, but durations of phenophases generally extend over periods of several months, and onset and cessation of most phenophases in gradual rather than sharply marked. In Acacia koa the flowering peak occurred between December 1971 and February 1972 in plots on the Mauna Loa Strip Road, and in October 1971 in the Kilauea Forest Reserve, but all plots showed considerable winter flowering. However, little or no flowering took place in the winter of 1970-71. At higher elevations peak flushing was during summer months, at lower elevations during winter and spring. In Sophora chrysophylla flowering and flushing took place throughout the year without pronounced peaks at Kipuka Nene. Plots at 6000 and 6700 feet on the Strip Road showed flowering throughout the year, but with pronounced winter peaks. At 4000 and 5150 feet on the Strip Road the flowering peak was during winter and no summer flowering was found. Peak flushing occurred during spring and summer in all Strip Road plots. Cheirodendron trigynum shows peak flowering in summer, peak flushing in winter and spring. Sapindus saponaria flushes in spring, flowers in summer, and loses its leaves in winter. Diospyros ferrea flushes throughout the year, but most heavily in fall and winter; peak flowering is during winter and spring. Erythrina sandwicensis loses its leaves in spring, flowers during summer, and flushes in the fall. Ilex anomala flushes in spring, shows peak flowering in summer with flowering extending into fall and winter. Coprosma ochracea has peak flushing and flowering simultaneously in spring. Myrsine lessertiana has peak flushing in spring, with a less pronounced flush in fall; the flowering peak is in the late winter, continuing through spring. Myoporum sandwicense shows peak flowering in summer and fall; flushing seems to occur throughout the year. Santalum ellipticum flowers and flushes throughout the year, with peaks for both extending from summer to fall. Dodonaea viscosa seems to flush throughout the year; peak flowering occurs in fall and extends into winter and spring. All species examined show cambial activity throughout the year, but growth rates vary from month to month. It has not been possible to demonstrate correlations between rainfall and growth rates.
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    Biological survey of the proposed access road and Well Site 1
    (True/Mid-Pacific Geothermal Venture, 1987-11-14) Lamoureux, Charles H.; Char, Winona P.; Higashino, Paul; Kjargaard, Maile S.
    On 14 November 1987 a biological baseline survey was conducted of the proposed access road and well site 1. The road and well site had recently been surveyed and staked; reference is made throughout this report to "stake # __", the surveyor's stakes placed at irregular intervals along the access road.
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    The fern genus Nephrolepsis in Hawaii
    (Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1982-06) Lamoureux, Charles H.; Smith, Clifford W
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    Hawaii IBP synthesis: 7. impact of exotic plants and animals in Hawai'i
    (Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1978-06) Lamoureux, Charles H.; Smith, Clifford W
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    The Scientific Significance of Cook's Third Voyage
    (Honolulu, Hawaii: Pacific Islands Studies Program, University of Hawaii, 1978) Lamoureux, Charles H.
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    Soil-Vegetation Relationships in Hawaiian Kipukas
    (University of Hawai'i Press, 1967-04) Mueller-Dombois, D.; Lamoureux, C.H.
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    Ecological Factors on Manana Island, Hawaii
    (University of Hawai'i Press, 1968-07) Tomich, P.Q.; Wilson, Nixon; Lamoureux, Charles H.
    A 25-ha islet occupied by seasonally nesting sea birds, feral rabbits, and house mice is considered. Rabbits presumably modified the unknown original vegetation in their 70 or more years on the island and reached an equilibrium with a plant cover composed largely of a few hard y introduced grasses. A total of 28 species of higher plants has been recorded from the island, only 6 of which are native to Hawaii. Rabbits occur in low to moderate numbers, sustained by a food source that is enriched by bird guano and subject to annual drought. Average body weight of the mouse is remarkably heavy at 19.5 g. Data on biological and food habits are presented for both mammals. Among 13 species of ectoparasites of birds and mammals are two unusual host adaptations : of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis, to Oryctolagns cuniculus, and of the Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, to Mus musculus. Rabbits appear not to be detrimental to the nesting of bird s, and their control or extermination is discouraged at present. The scientific importance of the island's unique ecosystem is stressed, and proposals for its intensive study are outlined.
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    Root Development in Aluminous Hawaiian Soils
    (University of Hawai'i Press, 1963-10) Plucknett, D.L.; Moomaw, J.C.; Lamoureux, C.H.
    Roots of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa and Melastoma malabathricum were excavated in three soil series from the bauxitic area of Kauai . Root systems of R. tomentosa and M. malabathricum in Kapaa and Halii soils were very shallow, with tap roots turning laterally at shallow depth and with long lateral roots very close to the soil surface. Deeper tap-root penetration of R. tomentosa and M. malabathricum was observed in the Koolau soil. Lime and phosphorus treatments were added to bauxitic subsoils of the Kapaa and Halii series in pots and Leucaena glauca (1.) was planted in the pots. Tap roots of L. glauca were stimulated by phosphorus treatment, but were restricted in untreated subsoils. Increased root development with phosphorus treatment seemed to be more related to phosphorus supply than to decreased aluminum effects. No evidence of root damage due to aluminum was found. L. glauca: roots were sectioned with a freezing microtome and stained, using hematoxylin without a mordant. Although all staining obtained could not be attributed to aluminum, since other metals can act as mordants for hematoxylin, intensity of staining was assumed to be related to aluminum concentration in the tissues. Cell walls, nuclei, and cytoplasm stained in all tissues, and outer walls of epidermal cells stained very heavily. Staining was more intense in roots from check and P-treated plants than in roots from lime-treated plants.
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    Evaluation of rare and endangered bird research programs for Hawaii's National Parks
    (Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1979-02) Lamoureux, Charles H.
    The objective of this project was to formulate a plan for a comprehensive research program to study the rare and endangered birds found in Hawai'i's national parks, with emphasis on the research needed to develop sound resource management policies. Ongoing research is described and the additional research needed to develop a comprehensive program is identified. Suggestions are offered for meeting these research needs, and the appropriate role of the National Park Service in supporting such research is discussed. Two problems of special concern to the National Park Service are addressed: 1. It is recommended that one or more NPS representatives in Hawaii appointed to the Fish and Wildlife Service recovery team for the Hawaiian Crow, since Hawaii Volcanoes National Park should be involved in the recovery program. 2. It seems unlikely that large-scale propagation projects, involving captive breeding populations with subsequent release of offspring, will play a significant role in the preservation of endangered Hawaiian birds, especially the honeycreeper. Therefore, it is recommended that NPS resources not be used for construction of extensive facilities for captive propagation projects.
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    Maluku: Its Place in the History of Science
    (The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, 1990) Lamoureux, Charles H.
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    SEM Studies on Vessels in Ferns. 20. Hawaiian Hymenophyllaceae
    (University of Hawai'i Press, 2000-10) Carlquist, Sherwin; Schneider, Edward L.; Lamoureux, Charles H.
    Tracheary elements of three species (Mecodium recurvum, Vandenboschia devallioides, and Callistopteris baldwinii) (two epiphytic, one terrestrial) representing three genera of Hymenophyllaceae were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both roots and rhizomes of all three species possess vessel elements. Wide perforations, an expression of pit (perforation) dimorphism within perforation plates, are prominent, more so than in most other fern families. Monomorphic perforations are also common, as are perforations in which weblike or porose pit membranes are present. Habitats of Hymenophyllaceae are characterized by high humidity with little fluctuation. However, fluctuation in moisture availability within the substrates of Hymenophyllaceae may be related to the abundance of vessels and the distinctiveness of the perforation plates. A peculiarity of hymenophyllaceous tracheary elements not hitherto reported in ferns to our knowledge is reported: gaps in the secondary wall pattern at outer surface of cell angles. These gaps take the form of rhomboidal depressions or a continuous depressed strip.
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    Report of the Kipahulu Bicentennial expedition
    (Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany, 1976-09) Lamoureux, Charles; Stemmermann, Lani
    An expedition through Kipahulu Valley was organized to evaluate the frequenly implied negative environmental impact of the 1967 Kipahulu Valley Expedition. On the 1976 expedition four people trekked down through the valley from June 26 through 29, along the 1967 Expedition route, where possible. There is little evidence of the 1967 expedition remaining in the valley. The trails are difficult to locate and the campsites are recognizable only to those people who were on the expedition. There is no evidence of weeds being introduced into the valley along the 1967 trails. There is serious pig damage in the area between Basecamp 1 and Palikea.
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    The flora and vegetation of Laysan Island
    (National Museum of Natural History, The Smithsonian Institution, 1963-11-15) Lamoureux, Charles H.