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{{Short description|Indian botanist (1930–2004)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Father Dr. K. M. Matthew
| image = Drmathewkoyappillil.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date text|16 March 1930}}
| birth_place = Koyapillil, Ramapuram, Kottayam, [[Kerala]], India
| death_date = {{death-date and age|16 April 2004|16 March 1930}}
| death_place = [[Tiruchirapalli]]
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = [[Botanist]]
| yearsactive =
| known for = [[Taxonomy (biology)|Taxonomical]] research
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| children =
| parents = Mathai and Teresa
| website =
| awards = Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar
}}

{{Indian name|Matthew|Koyapillil Mathai}}'''Koyapillil Mathai Matthew''' (1930–2004) was an Indian [[Jesuit priest]] and [[botanist]].<ref name="sjweb1">{{cite web|url=http://www.sjweb.info/sjs/networks/ecology/Indian%20Jesuits%20Contribution%20to%20Environmental%20Protection.pdf |title=Jesuit Contribution to Environmental Protection |date= |accessdate=2017-05-11}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">Savarimuthu Ignacimuthu, S.J. (2016). The Contributions of South Asian Jesuits to Environmental Work. journal of jesuit studies 3. 619-644. doi 10.1163/22141332-00304005</ref> He extensively studied the floral diversity of [[Tamil Nadu]], and published several research papers and books.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?lookfor=%22Matthew,%20K.%20M.%22&type=author&inst=|title=Catalog Search Results | HathiTrust Digital Library}}</ref> In 1967, he established the Rapinat Herbarium at [[St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

==Early life and work==

He was born to Teresa and K. O. Mathai of the Koyapillil family on March 16, 1930 in [[Ramapuram, Kottayam]], [[Kerala]], India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://talent-kerala.net/previous/2005/jan/23.htm |title=Inspiration for the day ! |publisher=Talent-Kerala |date=2004-08-22 |accessdate=2017-05-11}}</ref> Born into a family of farmers he completed his school education at St. Augustine's High School, Ramapuram, initial collage studies at [[St. Berchmans College|SB College Changanacherry]] and moved to [[Tiruchirapalli]] for higher studies.<ref name="thehindu2004">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/10/05/stories/2004100513480300.htm |title=Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Award for Tiruchi botanist |date=2004-10-05|work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=2017-05-11}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="archive1">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Shola2004|title = Shola 2004}}</ref>
He did his bachelor's degree in University of Madras, India and completing his M.Sc. degree during 1958-60, he acquired his doctorate (1960–62) on the alien plants of the Palni hills with the guidance of [[Hermenegild Santapau]] and he did his Doctor of Philosophy from University of Bombay in 1963.<ref name="archive1"/> He also did Master of Science in 1973 from University Reading, United Kingdom.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

He extensively carried out field work in Tamil Nadu and this effort resulted in a four-volume The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic.<ref name="sjweb1"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009107449 |title=Catalog Record: The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic | HathiTrust Digital Library |series=The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic series; v. 3 |year=1983 |publisher=Catalog.hathitrust.org |accessdate=2017-05-11}}</ref> A total of 2020 species was covered in this work. Another contribution is an illustrated Flora entitled the Flora of the Palani Hills in three volumes.<ref name="sjweb1"/> He described four new species, one subspecies, and proposed quite a few new combinations. ''[[Strobilanthes matthewiana]]'' R.W. Scotland has been published in his honour.<ref>SCOTLAND, R. W. (1998), One new and one rediscovered species of Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 128: 203–210. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1998.tb02116.x,</ref><ref name = "source">{{Cite web |url=http://worldplants.webarchiv.kit.edu/ |title=World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World |access-date=2017-05-07 |archive-date=2019-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318221109/http://worldplants.webarchiv.kit.edu/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://efloraindia.nic.in/efloraindia/speciesDesc_PCL.action?species_id=1017 |title=Botanical Survey of India | Flora of India |publisher=Efloraindia.nic.in |date= |accessdate=2017-05-11 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=1004168-1 |title=IPNI Plant Name Details |publisher=Ipni.org |date=1987-08-16 |accessdate=2017-05-11}}</ref>

==Awards==
He was awarded the Best Teacher Award of the Tamil Nadu State Government in 1989,<ref name="archive1"/> ZWO fellowship of the Dutch Government, Leiden, 1978.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} He was conferred with the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar for 2002 under the `individual' category posthumously for his outstanding contribution for the environmental protection.<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref name="thehindu2004"/>

==Authority name==
{{botanist|K.M.Matthew|Matthew, Koyapillil Mathai}}

==Publications==

*{{Cite book | author1=Mathew, K. M | author2=Rapinat Herbarium | title=The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic | publication-date=1981 | publisher=Rapinat Herbarium | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/24770878 | accessdate=8 May 2017 }}
*{{Cite book | author1=Matthew, K. M | title=An excursion flora of Central Tamilnadu, India | year=1991 | publication-date=1991 | publisher=Oxford & IBH Pub. Co | isbn=978-81-204-0628-5 }}
*{{Cite book | author1=Matthew, K. M | author2=Matthew, K. M. Illustrations on the flora of the Palni Hills, South India | author3=Matthew, K. M. Supplement to illustrations on the flora of the Palni Hills, South India | author4=Rapinat Herbarium | title=The flora of the Palni Hills, South India | publication-date=1999 | publisher=Rapinat Herbarium | isbn=978-81-900539-4-5 }}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://archive.org/stream/Shola2004/SholaMatthews2004#page/n0/mode/2up Biographical sketch]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew, Koyapillil Mathai}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian botanists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian Jesuits]]

K. M. Matthew - Revision history

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