erected in his honor by the Dominican government and the American Society of Plant Taxonomists on October 14, 1950. Legacy Ekman contributed to the knowledge of the Caribbean flora more than any other previous scientist. He described more than 2,000 species new to science (a great many of which are now named after him); this was remarkable, since by then the flora of the Caribbean was considered to be extensively documented. His collections are still actively used in the research on the West Indian flora. He collected around 36,000 numbers, amounting with duplicates to more than 150,000 specimens. Ekman also made some geographical discoveries: he mapped several mountains of Haiti and was among the first to measure accurately the highest Dominican (and Caribbean) mountain, Pico Duarte. Ekman also collected birds, mammals and reptiles, of which several species bear his name, e.g. the Hispaniolan nightjar (Antrostomus ekmani). There are also streets in both Santiago and Santo Domingo bearing his name. In Cuba, a special department in the Botanical Garden that is named after Ekman contains plant species related to his work. The Swedish Foundation Instituto Ekman was established in 1991 in his honour. The aims of the Foundation are to intensify the scientific and cultural exchange between Sweden and the Caribbean countries. An in depth biographical work on Ekman by Thomas A. Zanoni (New York) and Roger Lundin (Sweden) is ongoing. The genera Ekmanochloa Hitchc., Ekmania Gleason, Ekmaniocharis Urb., Ekmamnianthe Urb., Myrtekmania Urb., Manekia Trel. Ekmaniopappus Borhidi and Elekmania B.Nord. were named for him. Literature B. Nordenstam & K. Oldfeldt Hjertonsson Plantae Ekmanianae Atlantis, Stockholm, 2007. References 20th-century Swedish botanists Botanists active in the Caribbean 1883 births 1931 deaths Swedish expatriates in the Dominican Republic Lund University alumni Swedish expatriates in Cuba