William Murrill

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William Alphonso Murrill (1869-1957) was a mycologist, taxonomist, writer, and authority on the fleshy fungi (Basidiomycetes) who was born October 13, 1869, near Lynchburg, Virginia. He collected over 70,000 specimens of fungi in North and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean including over 1700 type specimens. Using the American Code of nomenclature Murrill identified and described many new genera and species and made nomenclatural revisions of existing taxa that have been both criticized and praised by mycologists.

Murrill published over five hundred scientific articles on a wide range of botanical subjects. His major works include a twelve part series on the Polyporaceae in the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (1902-06), and five monographs on the Boletaceae and Polyporaceae in 1914-15. He lectured widely and wrote autobiographical pieces and popular books on natural science for young adults. In 1924 he retired both from the Garden and from professional life. During the 1930's he became associated with the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he returned to mycological study and wrote for publications until his death in 1957.