title: J. M. Despréaux' lichens from the Canary Islands and West Africa: an account of a 19th century collection found in an English archive.
abstract: This is an historical and descriptive account of 28 herbarium specimens, 27 lichens and an alga, found in the archives of Charles Chalcraft, a descendant of the Bedford family, who were dye manufacturers in Leeds, England, in the 19th century. The lichens comprise 13 different morphotypes collected in the Canary Islands and West Africa by the French botanist J. M. Despréaux between 1833 and 1839. The collections include samples of "Roccella fuciformis", "R. phycopsis" and "R. tinctoria" (including the fertile morphotype "R. canariensis"), "Ramalina crispatula" and "R. cupularis", two distinct morphotypes of "Sticta", "S. canariensis" and "S. dufouri", "Physconia enteroxantha", "Pseudevernia furfuracea var. ceratea" and "Pseudocyphellaria argyracea". The herbarium also includes authentic material of "Parmotrema tinctorum" and a probable syntype of "Seirophora scorigena". Most of these species are known as a source of the purple dye orchil, which was used to dye silk and wool.
authors.affiliation: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aguirre-Hudson
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Whitworth
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Spooner
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western / Q000208:ethnology; D001901:Botany / Q000193:education / Q000266:history; D003020:Clothing / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D008011:Lichens; D008420:Manufactured Materials / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D013030:Spain / Q000208:ethnology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents