Name Cyrus Lundell Died March 28, 1994 | Fields Botany | |
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Born November 5, 1907 ( 1907-11-05 ) Books Revision of the American Celastraceae I. Wimmeria, Microtropis, and Zinowiewia | ||
Cyrus Longworth Lundell (November 5, 1907 – March 28, 1994) was an American botanist.
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Early achievement
At the age of 21, Lundell was a sophomore at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He was appointed assistant physiologist at the Tropical Plant Research Foundation in Washington, D.C. He was to assist in British Honduras, with experiments on the sapodilla tree (Achras zapota), which yields chicle, for the U.S. chewing gum industry.
Chicle
Chicle is the natural gum from Manilkara chicle, a tropical evergreen tree native to southern North America and South America. It was traditionally used in chewing gum. While the Wrigley Company was a prominent user of this material, today there are only a few companies that still make chewing gum from natural chicle.
Work
Lundell's work was a combination of conservation and economics. He was interested in the Maya culture and archaeology as well as botany. While working for the Tropical Plant Research Foundation in 1931, he discovered the Maya city of Calakmul, which had been hidden in the jungle for 1000 years. He discovered and identified more than 2,000 plants, many of them Texas natives.
Burial
Cyrus Longworth Lundell is buried at Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.