Abstract
Edward Greenwood (1918-2002) had a lifelong interest in orchids and photography. Edward and his wife, Mary, documented wild orchids in Ontario, Quebec, and Mexico. Greenwood was a member of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club for almost 40 years. After Edward retired in 1973, the Greenwood’s moved to Mexico to study orchids.
The collection contains Greenwood’s correspondence, field journals, research notes, and photograph slides related to his research on orchids. The bulk of the collection is a series of photocopied research material and photographic slides organized by genus.
Dates
- Creation: 1961-2001
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research by appointment. Researchers must register and provide one form of valid photo identification. Please contact botref@oeb.harvard.edu for additional information.
Extent
24 linear feet (42 manuscript boxes, 3 record boxes, 3 flat boxes)The Greenwood papers comprise 24 linear feet of material related to Greenwood’s orchid research in the late 20th century. Material includes correspondence, notes, lists, field journals, manuscript material, plant descriptions, illustrative matter, photographs, slides, and stereoscopic images. The bulk of the collection consists of files arranged alphabetically by genus and species. The collection contains over 3000 slides taken by Greenwood, primarily of orchids but also of landscapes and his travels. Includes 5.25 linear feet of unprocessed material.
Biographical note
Edward Warren Greenwood was born on February 9, 1918, in Toronto, Canada. While in high school Greenwood met his future wife, Mary Scobbie. Edward and Mary married in 1942. He studied engineering chemistry at Queen’s University and graduated with a B.Sc. in 1943. After college, Greenwood joined the Army and was sent to Officer Training School where he continued his studies at the Royal Military College of Science in England. After World War II, Greenwood continued working in research and development as a munitions specialist until his retirement in 1973.
Greenwood had a life-long interest in orchids. He first became interested in local orchids and photography during high school. From 1947-1959, while working at the Defence Research Board in Valcartier, Quebec Greenwood spent his spare time botanizing and photographing orchids within the base. He located 14 species of wild orchids within the base perimeter and he wrote his first scientific paper about the orchids he had found. The Greenwoods would spend their free time traveling throughout Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec in their Volkswagen Beetle to find orchids and other interesting plants. Greenwood joined the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club in 1963 and was a member for almost 40 years. In the mid-1960s the Club defended the Mer Bleue pat bog from being turned into a garbage dump. This inspired Greenwood to found the Club’s Native Orchid Location Survey to accurately map the orchids within 50 km of the Peace Tower in Ottawa.
Mary and Edward first traveled to Mexico in the 1950s to explore and botanize. After that they traveled to Mexico annually, and each year they chose a different part of the country to botanize. In 1969, the Greenwood’s moved to London, England while Edward worked for the Canadian High Commission. While in London, he spent most of his weekends photocopying original literature on Mexican Orchids and photographing type specimens. He conducted research at the Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. After Edward retired in 1973, the Greenwood’s moved to Mexico full- time. Both Edward and Mary were involved with the Asociación Mexicana de Orquideologia and its journal Orquidea. After 20 years in Mexico, the Greenwoods returned to Ottawa in 1993. Edward died on February 24, 2002.
Throughout his life, Edward advocated for working with live plants in addition to herbarium material. He published many scientific papers and notes from 1962-2002. There are 12 species named after Greenwood including: Coryphantha greenwoodii, Freenwoodia sawyeri, Bletia greenwoodiana V. sosa, Encyclia greenwoodiana, Epidendrum greenwoodii, Malaxis greenwoodiana.
Source:
Reddoch, J. M. & Reddoch, A. H. (2002). A Tribute to Edward Warren Greenwood (1918-2002). The Canadian field-naturalist, 116 (3), 326-330. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/109250
Provenance
The Greenwood papers were given to the Oakes Ames Orchid Library in 2003 by Gustavo A. Romero, who received the collection from Paul M. Catling, executor of Greenwood's estate.
Acknowledgement
The Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium Archives of the Harvard Botany Libraries would like to extend a special thanks to Natalie Warford, who partially funded the processing of this collection.
Processing Information
An initial processing of the collection was partially funded by Natalie Warford. Additional processing was done in December 2023 by Kyle Boyd.
Creator
- Title
- Greenwood, Edward W. (Edward Warren), 1918-2002. Edward Warren Greenwood papers, 1961-2001: A Guide.
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Botany Libraries, Oakes Ames Orchid Library, Harvard University.
- Date
- 2024 January
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- orc00006
Repository Details
Part of the Botany Libraries, Orchid Library of Oakes Ames, Harvard University Repository
The Harvard University Herbaria houses five comprehensive, non-circulating research libraries that are managed collectively as the Botany Libraries.The Oakes Ames Orchid Library specializes exclusively in the identification and classification of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The Archives of the Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium houses unique resources including personal papers, institutional records, field notes and plant lists, expedition records, photographs, original artwork, and objects from faculty, curators, staff, and affiliates of the Orchid Herbarium.
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