Wm. Wayt Thomas: A Career in Botany

During a botanical career that has spanned more than 35 years – almost all that time based at The New York Botanical Garden –, Wm. Wayt Thomas has participated in over 100 field expeditions and published almost 200 scientific works including two edited volumes, advised or co-advised 15 doctoral students, and became one of the world authorities on the systematics of the Cyperaceae. His research programs set down roots in Brazil, where his work has led to major advances in our knowledge of the flora of the Atlantic Coastal Forests and had significant impacts on conservation in that region. He has held leadership positions in the Organization for Flora Neotropica and the Species Plantarum Project. He has made perhaps his greatest contributions in forging productive international scientific collaborations and in mentoring young scientists who are becoming leaders in the botanical community – and who attest to his pivotal impacts on their professional lives.