Harold Emery Moore, Jr. (July 7, 1917 – October 27, 1980) was an American botanist especially known for his work on the systematics of the palm family.
[1] Although best known for his work on palms, Moore also made notable contributions to the study of the Gesneriaceae, the Geraniaceae, the Amaryllidaceae, the Cucurbitaceae and the Commelinaceae.
By the time of his death in 1980 he had traveled to many remote locations and had collected all but 18 of the approximately 200 genera of palms.
[3] In 1973 Moore wrote a paper, The Major Groups of Palms and Their Distribution,[4] which presented the outline of his classification of the family.
He continued to build on this, and in 1980 was finally ready to devote three years to the production of Genera Palmarum.
He was made an Honorary Life Member of the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society in 1958.