Dr. Harold R. Fletcher
Molly Grothaus, Lake Oswego, Oregon
With regret, the death of Dr. Harold R. Fletcher is noted. Formerly Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, he compiled the International Rhododendron Register for the Royal Horticultural Society and acted for some years as the International Registration Authority for the genus.
Dr. Fletcher spent 17 years as a botanist at the Royal Botanic Garden, followed by a period from 1951 to 1954 when he was Director of the Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley. He returned to Edinburgh as Assistant Regius Keeper and within two years was made Regius Keeper.
He also served as Secretary of the International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants and of the Editorial Committee of the Commission which redrafted the Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants.
Dr. Fletcher was a recipient of the Victoria Medal of Honor and the Loder Rhododendron Cup.
In recent years Dr. Fletcher had written several books, including the
History of the Royal Horticultural Society
and
A Quest of Flowers
. Dr. Fletcher had a long time interest in the flora of Southwestern China and was both a Rhododendron and Primula expert. His expertise is evident in the latter book which is an account of the expeditions of Frank Ludlow and George Sherriff.