Paul H. Allen
| Paul Hamilton Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 29, 1911 Enid, Oklahoma |
| Died | November 14, 1963 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Scientific career | |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | P.H.Allen |
Paul Hamilton Allen (1911–1963) was an American botanist noted for his work on the ecology of Central America, orchid systematics and economically important species including bananas. He was married to the former Dorothy Osdieck of Kirkwood, Missouri.
Allen was born in Enid, Oklahoma. With only a secondary school education, he became a student apprentice at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri.
Beginning in late 1934 Allen accompanied Carroll William Dodge, Julian Steyermark, and A. A. Hunter on a 6-month collecting expedition in Panama. In late 1936, he returned to Panama as the third manager the Missouri Botanical Garden's Tropical Station which had been founded in 1927 by a donation of 7,000 plants from Charles W. Powell's orchid garden: Powell being the Tropical Station's first manager. When Allen made his trip to Panama as a part of the 1934-35 expedition, A. A. Hunter had taken over as the Tropical Station's second manager and remained in that position as well as Postmaster in Balboa until his death in 1935 at which time Hunter's wife, Mary, took over the Tropical Station's management until a suitable replacement could be found; Allen was selected as that replacement. Allen was the Tropical Stations's third and final manager and filled the position until March 1, 1939 when it was transferred to the Canal Zone Government. "During its almost 13 years of existence, the Tropical Station supplied the greenhouses in Saint Louis with a constant flow of living plants." On March 1, 1939 Allen was jointly hired by the Health Department and the Canal Zone Experiment Gardens. He was to devote five days a week to his work with the Health Department and one day each week, plus such extra time as was required, to outline and supervise the work at the reorganized Balboa Orchid Gardens which was made a branch of the Canal Zone Experiment Gardens." On September 21, 1939, Allen was transferred from the Health Department to fill the position of Supervisor of Culture, which had been vacant for three years. Allen's work soon expanded to include satisfying the US Army's horticulture requirements for its expansion program in the defense of the Canal. "Between 1937 and 1947, under the auspices of the Missouri Botanical Garden, he was part of 17 expeditions to the forests of Panama and collected over 7,000 species of plants. Allen was 'one of the most meticulous collectors ever to work in Central America.' It would be impossible to name all new species of Orchidaceae that were discovered by Allen and all of those that were named in his honor."
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