Beentje, Henk J.
Job Title
Botanist, Drylands Africa; Flora editor
Department
Herbarium, Library, Art & Archives
Section
Regional Teams
Science Teams:
Joined Kew:
1991 (FTA), 1995 (core staff)
Foreign Language(s):
Dutch, French, German, Latin (basic), Italian (basic)Qualifications & Appointments
BSc, Univ. of Amsterdam 1973
MSc, Univ. of Amsterdam 1978
PhD, Univ. of Wageningen 1982
Editor, Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society (1985-89)
Editor, Utafiti: Occas. Pap. of the National Museums of Kenya (1987-89)
Co-convenor, DIVERSITAS subgroup element 3 (1998-2000)
IUCN/SSC East African Plant Specialist Group
Botanical editor, Systematics & Biodiversity (2005-2009)
Botanical editor, Webbia (2010-
Role
African plants especially trees and Compositae; endemism; Floras and field guides.
Taxonomic treatments have concentrated on Flora treatments and field guides of African plant groups, concentrating on East African plants and trees. There is well-established collaboration with African colleagues from Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Madagascar. A key task is the completion of the Flora of Tropical East Africa, and I have written up several families (Compositae, Aspleniaceae, Ericaceae, Restionaceae, Cymodoceaceae, Hydnoraceae, several other small families, glossary) as well as edited sixteen parts in the last five years. Identification of plants from East Africa (mostly Compositae) and Madagascar (mostly Compositae, Palmae) take up considerable time, with 500–800 identifications per year. Other interests are publications on degrees of endemism in East African Flora; African trees; conservation of African plants; Compositae and Pandanaceae of the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia.
Projects
- Annotated Checklist of the Plants of Sudan and South Sudan
- Conservation Checklist of the Trees of Uganda
- Diversity and Conservation of Madagascar Palms
- e-Floras
- Field Guides: published and planned
- Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Flora Zambesiaca
- HOTSPOTS - understanding and conserving the Earth's biodiversity hotspots - COMPLETED 2009
- MSB partnership in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali)
- Field Guide to the Palms of Madagascar - COMPLETED 2006
- Publication of 2003 AETFAT proceedings
(project completed 2006)
Selected Recent Publications
- Dransfield, J., Beentje, H.J., Britt, A., Ranarivelo, T. & Razafilsalama, J. (2006). Field guide to the palms of Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp. 172. (Also published in Malagasy: Toro-lalan'irea satrapotsy eto Madagasikara)
- Beentje, H.J. & Bandeira, S. (2007). Field guide to the mangrove trees of Africa and Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp 91.
- Beentje, H.J. (2008). Aspleniaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp 75.
Beentje, H.J. (2010). The Kew Plant Glossary, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp 601.
Hoenselaar K., Verdcourt B. & Beentje, H.J. (2010). Cyperaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp 467.
(and edited sixteen parts of the Flora Tropical East Africa)
Selected Earlier Publications
- Coe, M. & Beentje, H.J. (1991). A field guide to the Acacias of Kenya. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp 148.
- Beentje, H.J. (1994). Kenya Trees, Shrubs and Lianas. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, ix + 722 pages.
- Beentje, H.J. et al. (1994). Regional overview: Africa. In Heywood, V. et al. (eds) Centres of Plant Diversity, 1. Cambridge: IUCN Publications Unit. 101-264.
- Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H.J. (1995). The palms of Madagascar. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp xii+475.
- Beentje, H.J. & Cheek, M. (2003). Glossary. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Lisse: Balkema. Pp 116.
