James Sykes Gamble

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James Sykes Gamble FRS FLS (1847–1925) was an English botanist who specialized in the flora of the Indian sub-continent; he became Director of the British Imperial Forest School at Dehradun, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Early life and education

Gamble was born in London, the son of Harpur Gamble, M.D. and Isabella. He completed his formal education at the Royal Naval School, New Cross, before going up to Oxford, where he attended Magdalen College. Gamble later studied at the École nationale des eaux et forêts, Nancy.

Career

Gamble sailed for India in 1871 to join the Imperial Forest Department,[1] and ultimately became Director of the Imperial Forest School at Dehradun.[2] In 1890, Gamble founded the Forest School Herbarium (renamed the Dehradun Herbarium in 1908).

Author of several books, his magnum opus was A Manual of Indian Timbers.[3] He was also the author of many papers on forestry and botanical subjects in the Indian Forester, which he long edited.[4]

Other works

  • List of the trees, shrubs and large climbers found in the Darjeeling District, Bengal, (1st ed. 1877; 1878; 2nd ed. 1896), Bengal.
  • A Manual of Indian Timbers: An Account of the Growth, Distribution and Uses of the Trees and Shrubs of India and Ceylon with Description of Their Wood-Structure. (1881; 1902). Bishen Sigh Mahendra Pal Sigh, India. (Reprint: Dehradun, International, 2002, xxvi, 868 p., ISBN 81-7089-283-X).
  • The Bambuseae of British India [monograph]. Annals of the Royal Botanic Garden Calcutta, (1896), 133 pp.
  • Flora of the Presidency of Madras, (1921), London.

Honours

In 1899, Gamble was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, his candidature citation describing him as: 'Conservator of Forests, School Circle, NW Provinces, India, and Director of the Imperial Forest School, Dehra Dunn. Fellow of the University of Madras, and ex officio Fellow of the University of Allahabad...'[4]

Retirement and marriage

Gamble retired to the UK in 1899 and married, in 1911, Gertrude Latter.

Notes

The standard author abbreviation Gamble is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical name.[5]

NB: Gamble is listed erroneously as J. H. Gamble in some treatises.

References

  1. ↑ "GAMBLE, James Sykes". Who's Who, 59: p. 655. 1907. 
  2. ↑ "obit. Mr. J. S. Sykes, C.I.E., F.R.S.". Nature 116 (2923): 684–685. 7 November 1925. doi:10.1038/116684a0. 
  3. ↑ Gamble, J. S. (1881). A Manual of Indian Timbers: An Account of the Growth, Distribution and Uses of the Trees and Shrubs of India and Ceylon with Description of Their Wood-Structure. (1881; 1902). Bishen Sigh Mahendra Pal Sigh, India. (Reprint: Dehradun, International, 2002, xxvi, 868 p., ISBN 81-7089-283-X).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 31 January 2011. 
  5. ↑ "Author Query for 'Gamble'". International Plant Names Index. 

External links

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