Benito (Ben) Ching Tan, an internationally recognized bryologist and Research Associate at the University and Jepson Herbaria died in December 2016. Among his many honors, Ben was a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and recipient of the prestigious Richard Spruce Award of the International Association of Bryologists.

Ben specialized in the systematics and biogeography of mosses, especially the family Sematophyllaceae, and published many studies on East Asian bryophytes. He was considered the world’s foremost expert on tropical bryophytes and was often sought after to identify rainforest taxa.

Ben was a Research Associate of the University and Jepson Herbaria at UC/JEPS since 1998, and following a long and distinguished career in Singapore as an adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, and curator in the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, he moved to California and joined UC/JEPS full-time in 2013.

Ben will always be recognized and remembered for his significant contributions to bryology and for those who were lucky enough to work with him personally, he will also be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and uplifting spirit.