Caetano Xavier Furtado Explained

Caetano Xavier dos Remedios Furtado (14 October 1897 – 13 June 1980) was a botanist who specialized in palms. He worked at the Singapore botanical gardens. He described nearly 104 species of palms, worked on the African genus Hyphaene and on the family Araceae. The species Maxburretia furtadoana was named after him by John Dransfield in 1978. He was also involved in clarifying the terms "illegitimate" and "superfluous" names in taxonomic nomenclature.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} He also coined the word "basinym" which was modified as basionym.^[5]

Furtado was born in Douniar, Merces, Portuguese Goa, son of physician Jose Irneu das Augustias dos Remedios and Maria Eloisa Anacleta de Sousa and went to the Poona Agricultural College, receiving a B.Ag. in 1921. He then went to Burma as an agronomist and joined the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1923. He received a D.Sc. from the University of Bombay in 1939. He knew Portuguese and English from early on and studied Italian so as to be able to read the works of Beccari, as well as Spanish, French and German in order to read systematic literature.^{[6] [7] [8]} Apart from palm taxonomy, he also wrote on matter of systematics^{[9] [10]} and also wrote extensively including some biographical notes on I.H. Burkill.^{[11] [12]} Furtado's wife Ana Sebastiana da Piedade was from Calangute and they had 3 sons and 3 daughters.

Notes and References

1. Furtado . C. X. . 1965 . The Traditional Meaning of Legitimate . Taxon . 14 . 8 . 277–281 . 10.2307/1217051 . 1217051 . 0040-0262.
2. Furtado . C. X. . 1956 . "Illegitimate" Names under the Rules . Taxon . 5 . 7 . 149–153 . 10.2307/1216646 . 1216646 . 0040-0262.
3. Furtado . C. X. . 1960 . Superfluous names and later Homonyms . Taxon . en . 9 . 5 . 147–150 . 10.2307/1217383 . 1217383 . 0040-0262.
4. Furtado . C. X. . 1962 . Unpalatable consequences of certain rules . Taxon . en . 11 . 6 . 192–195 . 10.2307/1217220 . 1217220 . 0040-0262.
5. Furtado . C. X. . 1966 . Basinym or Basionym? . Taxon . 15 . 5 . 179–180 . 10.2307/1216475 . 1216475 . 0040-0262.
6. C.X. Furtado (1897-1980): Contributions to the Study of Palms. Johnson, D.V.. Tay, Eng Pin. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore. 51. 1999 . 141–150.
7. Alphonso, A.G. . 1980. Caetano Xavier Furtado 1897-1980: an obituary. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore. 33. 301–02 .
8. Furtado . C. X. . 1937 . Some nomenclatorial problems . Blumea. Supplement . en . 1 . 1 . 123–132 . 0006-5196.
9. Furtado . C. X. . 1938 . Validating a specific epithet under an invalid genus . Repertorium Novarum Specierum Regni Vegetabilis . en . 44 . 11–20 . 256–264 . 10.1002/fedr.19380441108 . 0375-121X.
10. Furtado . C. X. . 1940 . The Definition of a Nomen Ambiguum . Repertorium Novarum Specierum Regni Vegetabilis . en . 49 . 5–12 . 87–90 . 10.1002/fedr.19400490507 . 0375-121X.
11. Furtado, C.X. . Holttum, R.E. . 1960 . I.H. Burkill in Malaya . Gardens Bulletin, Singapore . 4 . 17 . 350–356.
12. Furtado . C. X. . 1938 . The nomenclature of hybrids . Repertorium Novarum Specierum Regni Vegetabilis . en . 44 . 11–20 . 244–255 . 10.1002/fedr.19380441107 . 0375-121X.