Cook, Frances E. M.
Job TitleEconomic Botanist
DepartmentJodrell Laboratory
SectionSustainable Uses
Science Teams:
Joined Kew: 1981
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc (Hons), Univ. Liverpool, 1979
MSc, Univ. College, Bangor, 1981.
Role
Potpourri industry liaison, research into wild collected UK trade imports and oversee economic botany enquiries.
Identify plant samples being considered by UK companies for inclusion in potpourri products; report on their potential toxicity and conservation. Manage the Potpourri collection and database. Co-ordinate responses to enquiries, received annually, by the Sustainable Uses Group that relate to the uses of plants or their poisonous properties. Support Economic Botany Collections, CMPCC and Data Standards relating to uses. Sample the Economic Botany collections for scientific analysis. Research the relationship between Indian potpourri and the herbal health care industry and its dependence on wild harvested species.
Projects
Selected Recent Publications
Sousa, M.M., Melo, M.J., Parola, A.J., de Melo, J.S.S., Catarino, R., Pina, F., Cook, F.E.M., Simmonds, M.S.J. & Lopez, J.A. (2008). Flavylium chromophores as species markers for dragon’s blood resins from Dracaena adn Daemonorops trees. Journal of Chromatography A 1209(1-2):153-161.
Cook, F.E.M. (2007). What’s in the pack? Palm potpourri ingredients. Palms 51(3): 127-137.
Selected Earlier Publications
Davis, S. D., Ambrose, J., Cook, F. E. M. & Prendergast, H. D. V. (1998). The Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) - what's in it for you? In Prendergast, H.D.V., Etkin, N.L., Harris, D.R. & Houghton, P. J. (eds). Plants for food and medicine. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 295-306.
Peters, C.R & Cook, F.E.M. (eds). (1996). Uses of African plants. In van der Maesen, L.J.G., van der Burgt, X.M. & van Medenbach de Rooy, J.M. (eds). The Biodiversity of African Plants. Proceedings XIV AETFAT Congress, 22-27 August 1994, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 661- 768.
Cook, F.E.M. (1995). Economic Botany Data Collection Standard. Prepared for the International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases for Plant Sciences (TDWG). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 146 pp.
Cook, F.E.M. (1994). African grasses for prevention and remedy of land degradation. In Seyani, J.H. & Chikuni, A.C. (eds). Proceedings of the XIII Plenary meeting AETFAT, Zomba, Malawi, 2-11 April 1991. Zomba, Malawi, National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens of Malawi. 1: 113-135.
Booth, F.E.M. & Wickens, G.E. (1988). Non-timber uses of selected arid zone trees and shrubs in Africa. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
