Loran Whitelock

Loran M. Whitelock (April 21, 1930 – May 27, 2014) was an American botanist who specialized in Cycads, a prehistoric plant that once dominated the planet and is now somewhat rare and endangered.[1] He was known as a plant collector, plant curator, nursery owner, author, and conservationist.[2][3][4][5] He was instrumental in promoting cycads as a garden feature in Southern California through his nursery and other contributions. Several plants were named in his honor including Encephalartos whitelockii and Ceratozamia whitelockiana.

Cycad Gardens

He created, owned, managed, curated for, and grew plants for Cycad Gardens. Cycad Gardens is a botanical garden and nursery located on about an acre of land in back of his home in Eagle Rock, CA.[4] It contains one of the most extensive collections of Cycads in the world, and is noted for its importance to conservation efforts.[4] It was described by the Los Angeles Times as “monumental and weird… walking through it is like traveling back in time to Jurassic days”.[4]

Publications

He published extensively on Cycads and wrote “The Cycads”, a standard reference on the subject and described by the Miami Harald as “encyclopedic”.[6] Cycad Gardens was started in 1972.[7]

Education and career

Whitelock earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology, studying in botany, zoology, and microbiology. He worked for the Los Angeles City and County Health Departments then became a landscape designer in Los Angeles.[7]

Expeditions and conservationism

Whitelock was known for his extensive travels to remote locations in search of cycads, and for his conservation efforts, described by the Los Angeles Times as “a local legend”.[3][7] Whitelock was a frequent commentator on theft of valuable rare and endangered plants from the wild, and of very valuable specimens from private collections.[8][9][10] 1,500 of Whitelock's cycads were donated to the nearby Huntington Botanical Gardens after his death, forming one of the largest collections of cycads in the world.[11]

References

  1. ^ "In memory of Loran Whitelock". Arizona Cycad. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Pener, Degen (August 17, 2003). "The Cone Heads". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Spurrier, Jeff (March 22, 2007). "A Jurassic park of their own". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Heeger, Susan (April 11, 1993). "Style: Gardens: The Plants That Time Forgot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  5. ^ Tasker, Georgia (January 13, 2008). "Coffee grower found cycad in rain forest". The Miami Herald. p. 11H. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Tasker, Georgia (September 12, 2004). "Slow-growing cycad requires little care". The Miami Herald. p. 14H. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c "Loran M. Whitelock". Timber Press. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014.
  8. ^ Tasker, Georgia (November 23, 2004). "Crooks, Collectors, Preying on a Plant". The Miami Herald. p. 1. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Krasnowski, Matt (August 20, 2001). "Smugglers of Rare Plants Weeded Out". San Diego Union Tribune. p. A1.
  10. ^ Tasker, Georgia (September 10, 2002). "Mystery of the Missing Cycads Disclosed". The Miami Herald. p. E1. Retrieved March 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ McFarling, Usha Lee (April 1, 2017). "A Passion for Cycads". Huntington Frontiers. Retrieved March 9, 2020.

Further reading

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