W. A. Setchell
N. L. Gardner
I am sure everyone who is into the business of identifying seaweeds must have come across the names, Setchell et Gardner. At least when I described Ulva taeniata from Malvan in 2007, I was curious to know more about these two amazing Phycologists. They together described more than 670 species and infraspecific taxa from at least 110 genera, 40 of which were new to science. Thus the pair remembered for their joint legacy. They were of the same age, had the same interest, and spent their phycological career at the Department of Botany and Herbarium of the University of California at Berkeley. The careers of two men were inextricable; their talents and abilities were in part congruent and in part complementary.
William Albert Setchell was born in Norwich, Connecticut on April 15, 1864, into a family that had deep roots in New England. He had an early interest in natural history in particular Botany. Apart from marine algae, he was prolific in other groups of botany and marine biology, especially fungi, corals, and higher plants as well. Nathaniel Lyon Gardner was born in Keokuk, Iowa on February 26, 1864.
Gardner first came in contact with Setchell in connection with the identification of seaweeds he collected from the Pacific coast on April 26, 1897. A couple of exchanges of correspondence between them marked the beginning of one of the most fruitful collaborations in phycological history. Gardner meticulously followed instructions given by Setchell and kept sending him seaweed specimens. Setchell was so impressed with the abilities of Gardner that in one of the letters he wrote "....... you are so fine a collector that was you of the other sex I might propose matrimony right away".
Gardner's rapid interest in Phycology led him to enroll at the University of Washington. He wrote Setchell asking about the possibility of graduate study at Berkeley and Setchell arranged an assistantship for him.
Setchell individually contributed by publishing a monograph of selected tropical marine algae. He along with Holden snd Collins prepared landmark Phycotheca boreali-americana. Setchell and Gardner both together were responsible for developing the phycological herbarium and library at Berkeley. Their yet another important contribution was the First major accounts of green and red seaweeds in Western North America. While Gardner's diligence brought to light numerous tiny endophytes, epiphytes, and encrusting forms. Some of which were only rarely seen afterward.
Garden was apparently a quiet man who dislike fuss and disorder. Joint papers were always under the authorship of Setchell and Gardener, even though it is likely that Gardner did most of the work on many of the joint projects. However, Setchell's stylistic stamp is evident in all the non-descriptive writing.
Gardener suffered from bad health during his last years and died on August 15, 1937, and Setchell wrote an obituary. Setchell died on April 5, 1943. Three plant genera were named for Setchell: Setchellia magnus (a smut fungus), Setchelliella De Toni (now Setchelliella dura, blue-green algae), and Setchellanthus Brandegee (a shrub, now known as Setchellanthus caeruleus). In addition, more than three dozen species of plants, as well as a coral species and an annelid species, were named in his honor.
Data compiled by: Dr. Vaibhav A. Mantri, Principal Scientist & Divisional Chair, CSIR-CSMCRI, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.
Source Credit: "Prominent Phycologists of the 20th Century" by David J Garbary and Michael J. Wynne (Eds)
Read about other prominent Phycologists here
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