Robert Desmond Meikle

Life and Work

Robert Desmond Meikle (18 May 1923 – 8 February 2021) was a British botanist. His official botanical author abbreviation was “Meikle”.

### Early Life and Career

Meikle was born in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland.

### Contributions to Botany

Meikle worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he was a member of the scientific team. He is best known for his two-volume work, **Flora of Cyprus** (1977 and 1985), which provides a comprehensive contribution about the almost 1750 plant taxa from Cyprus.

### Other Works

Meikle contributed to other notable works, including:

* Parts of the **Encyclopedia Flora Europaea**
* **Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland**
* **Garden Plants** (1963)
* Articles for the **Irish Naturalists' Journal** since 1940
* Editor of the draft index of author abbreviations compiled at the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

### Publications

Some notable publications by Meikle include:

* **Wild flowers of Cyprus** (1990) - editor, Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation
* **Proposal to the Sydney Congress for a further change to I.C.B.N. Article 8** (1981)
* **Cyclamen: a gardener's guide to the genus** (1973) - Alpine Garden Society guide

### Honors and Awards

Meikle was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to botany.

References

Note: The references section is not included in this merged article, as it was not present in any of the source snippets. If you would like to add a reference section, please provide the necessary information.