extraordinary meticulousness and his uncanny, almost 
photographic, memory for the orchids, transferred him 
to his herbarium to aid in the identification of ever in- 
creasing shipments of orchid collections arriving from 
around the world, especially, at that time, from the 
Philippines and southeast Asia. 
Dedicating himself with typical zeal to this new task, 
Charles became, in a surprisingly short time, proficient 
in this most complex plant family and was soon recog- 
nized as one of the world’s leading orchidologists. Orchids 
remained his prime responsibility for the rest of his life. 
When, in 1981, Ames transferred the Orchid Her- 
barium of Oakes Ames to the Botanical Museum, Charles 
‘ume to Cambridge and, as Research Associate, spent the 
rest of his life in the Museum in orchidological research. 
After retirement, he continued his studies daily on the 
nbsolutely precise schedule so typical of his life and phi- 
losophy, until they were interrupted by illness about a 
year before his death. 
Filially devoted to the Botanical Museum, ‘Schweiny’, 
as he was affectionately known amongst his closest col- 
leagues, gave his time and efforts happily in sundry quiet 
ways towards the strengthening of this institution. For 
many years, he assisted in the editing of the Botanical 
Museum Leaflets, setting an example of the strictest 
accuracy in this work. 
Charles’ taxonomic and monographic research, includ- 
ing both Old and New World orchids, resulted in vo- 
luminous publications, which will long serve as models. 
His earhest work dealt with the Philippine flora. His 
basic work with Ames and EF. Tracy Hubbard on Epi- 
dendrum \led to a monograph on this complex genus. 
The major research of his lite, however, was embodied in 
his monumental five volume Orchids of Peru, based on 
investigations that spanned 80 years. This work repre- 
[ 94 ] 
