astronomy

Peter Goldblatt

Peter Goldblatt is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Peter Goldblatt rather than just read about it. In short: Peter Goldblatt (born 1943) is a South African-born American botanist, working mainly in the United States. Life Goldblatt was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 8, 1943.

Key takeaways

Peter Goldblatt belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Peter Goldblatt to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Peter Goldblatt from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Peter Goldblatt (born 1943) is a South African-born American botanist, working mainly in the United States.

Life Goldblatt was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 8, 1943. His undergraduate studies (B.Sc.) were undertaken at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesberg (1965–1966), from where he went on to graduate studies at the University of Cape Town, where he received his doctorate in 1970. He held a position as lecturer in botany at Witwatersrand (1967) and then Cape Town (1968–1971) before emigrating to the United States in 1972. In the US he took up a position as a researcher at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, in St. Louis, where he has remained since, holding the position of Senior Curator since 1990. He returned briefly to South Africa in 2006 as a researcher at the Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, in Cape Town. He has also held appointments at the University of Missouri, as well as the University of Portland, Oregon (2000–2004). He obtained US citizenship in 1978.

Work Peter Goldblatt started his career as a plant collector in 1962, and worked extensively in Cape Province, but also in other regions of Africa, Madagascar, the United States, Greece, Italy, Israel, Turkey and Iran, having collected thousands of specimens. His interests lie in systematic taxonomy. One of his main research interests has been the cytology and taxonomy of the Iridaceae of Africa. A member of several botanical societies, he was also General Secretary (1982–1985) of the Association for the Taxonomic Study of Tropical African Flora. In 1999 he was awarded the International Bulb Society's Herbert Medal for his contributions to the knowledge of bulbous plants. In 2021 he was awarded the Foster Memorial Plaque for his contributions to the genus Iris.

Selected publications Goldblatt has published a large number of scientific publications, and several books (see C.V.).

Books A revision of the genera Lapeirousia Pourret and Anomatheca Ker in the winter rainfall region of South Africa (1972) The Moraeas of Southern Africa (Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens) (1996) The Genus Watsonia: A Systematic Monograph (Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens) (1989, 1995) The Woody Iridaceae: Systematics, Biology and Evolution of Nivenia, Klattia and Witsenia. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (1993). Gladiolus in Tropical Africa: Systematics, Biology and Evolution (1996, 2003) Wildflowers of the Fairest Cape (2000) Cape plants: A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa (Strelitzia) (2000) The Woody Iridaceae: Nivenia, Klattia & Witsenia: Systematics, Biology & Evolution (2003)The Woody Iridaceae The Iris Family: Natural History and Classification (2008) A Revision of the Southern African Genus Babiana, Iridaceae: Crocoideae Coauthored with John Charles Manning:

Gladiolus in Southern Africa: Systematics, Biology, and Evolution. Fernwood Press, Cape Town. (1998) The Complete Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs (2002) Crocosmia and Chasmanthe (Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide) (2004). Manning, John C.; Goldblatt, Peter (2010). Botany and horticulture of the genus Freesia (Iridaceae). Strelitzia vol. 27. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute, SANBI. ISBN 978-1-919976-58-7. Book chapters Goldblatt, P. (1995). The status of R. Dahlgren's orders Liliales and Melanthiales. pp. 181–200. In Rudall et al. (1995) Iridaceae. In K. Kubitzki (editor), Families and Genera of Flowering Plants volume 2: 295–335. (1998). Articles Goldblatt, Peter (1972). "Chromosome cytology in relation to classification in Nerine and Brunsvigia (Amaryllidaceae)". South African Journal of Botany. 38: 261–275. Goldblatt, Peter (1986). "Systematics and relationships of the bigeneric Pacific family Campynemataceae (Liliales)". Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Section B. 8: 117–132. Manning, J.C.; Goldblatt, P.; Fay, M.F. (2004). "A revised generic synopsis of Hyacintheaceae in sub-Saharan Africa, based on molecular evidence, including new combinations and the new tribe Pseudoprospereae". Edinburgh Journal of Botany. 60 (3): 533–568. doi:10.1017/S0960428603000404. S2CID 86097586. Manning, J.C.; Forest, F.; Devey, D.S.; Fay, M.F.; Goldblatt, P. (February 2009). "A molecular phylogeny and a revised classification of Ornithogaloideae (Hyacinthaceae) based on an analysis of four placid DNA regions". Taxon. 58 (1): 77–107. doi:10.1002/tax.581011. JSTOR 27756826.

Legacy A number of taxa have been named in his honour, including;

Gladiolus goldblattianus Geerinck Villarsia goldblattiana Ornduff The International Plant Names Index lists over 1,300 taxa named by him, particularly from the Iridaceae, Scilloideae including Hyacintheae, Asteraceae and Polygalaceae. e.g.

Campynemanthe neocaledonica (Rendle) Goldblatt Campynemanthe parva Goldblatt

References

Bibliography

External links Biography at JSTOR Profile at eFloras

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Peter Goldblatt

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Peter Goldblatt claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Peter Goldblatt before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Peter Goldblatt ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Peter Goldblatt

In research: Peter Goldblatt appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Peter Goldblatt in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Peter Goldblatt is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1943 births, 20th-century South African botanists, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Peter Goldblatt outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Peter Goldblatt in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Peter Goldblatt means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Peter Goldblatt out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peter Goldblatt in simple terms?

Peter Goldblatt (born 1943) is a South African-born American botanist, working mainly in the United States. Life Goldblatt was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 8, 1943.

Why does Peter Goldblatt matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Peter Goldblatt?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Peter Goldblatt.