José Pérez Carabia: Home

Cuban botanist José Pérez Carabia obtained his master's degree in agriculture and studied succulents, bromeliads, orchids and cycads. As an assistant in the botany department at La Salle College, Havana, Cuba, Carabia corresponded with botanist Stanley G. Ranger. In response to a request for an orchid specimen, Oncidium Papilio, Carabia was unable to send the specimen to Ranger due to its unavailability in Cuba stating, “it is not a Cuban species." Although he could not assist him with the specimen inquiry, Carabia did express enthusiasm after receiving Ranger’s letter,

“I am very glad in receiving your letter, because I am very interest in anything concerning to the N.Y. Botanical Garden, for two reason: first, for the history of that institution, and Britton in relation with Cuba; second, because the N.Y. Bot.Garden and its members they were like my home and my people, during my very short visits there.” (NYBG Archives, Stanley G.Ranger (PP).

By 1940, Carabia received a fellowship under the Guggenheim Foundation to study and research the flora of Cuba at NYBG. During his time at the Garden, he worked with NYBG botanist Harold N. Moldenke, procured pollen from a rare South African cycad (Stangeria criopus) and engaged in botanical expeditions to Cuba with French botanist Brother (or “Hermano”) Leon. Carabia identified and classified 8,000 plant specimens, many can be found at NYBG's Steere Herbarium.

Carabia published articles in the following journals: The Caribbean Forester, Ecological Monographs, Cactus and Succulent Journal and Memorias de la Sociedad Cubana de Historia Natural "Felipe Poey." and by 1942, his photographs of NYBG's winter scene were included in the Garden’s historical photo albums, as seen featured on the front cover of the Garden's journal.

After leaving NYBG, he moved to Sausalito, California where he lived with his partner John Baart and partook in local community events, creating a Sausalito wildflower display at the Sausalito Free Library with the help of assistant librarian, Ada Saline and hosting a home tour of his Japanese treehouse where he greeted guests, adorned in a kimono. A Santa Rosa resident, Carabia met his neighbors Ed Ross (columnist) and Eugene (‘Gene’) Burns (Associate Press reporter). In his Sausalito Marin Scope newspaper column “Looking Back”, Ed Ross describes Carabia and Gene’s budding friendship,

“Down the street from us, at the west end of Santa Rosa Avenue, lived a botanist and gardener named Jose Carabia. He designed gardens and, though a very quiet person, was evidently famous in this field. Gene had an idea for making countries like Jordan less dependent on other countries charities by increasing tourism. This required some points of interest. He thought of great gardens acclimatized to the area and talked Jose into joining him on a trip to the Near East to meet kings and other high potentates.” 

By 1958, Carabia embarked on a trip to Baghdad with Eugene (‘Gene’) Burns, to study biblical plants and create a garden with them. After a fight broke out during the July 14 revolution, Burns fatally lost his life and Carabia was declared missing. Subsequently, it was reported Carabia arrived home safely following his stay at the Baghdad Hotel for 10 days. Eight years later, Carabia passed away in 1966. 

Noted as an agriculturist, former collaborator at the Atkins Institution of the Arnold Arboretum, and a botanist with biblical authority, Carabia gained notoriety on the East and West coast. From New York to California, Carabia's love for plant science thrusted him into the spotlight and was highlighted in biographical references, Who's Who in Pacific Coast (1949) and Who's Who in America (1948). A former botany professor at Harvard University and member of the Torrey Botanical Club, Carabia spoke at conferences and participated in club meetings where members discussed their scientific research. To celebrate the Torrey Botanical Club's 75th anniversary event, Carabia attended alongside 140 members and joined in on a group photo in front of the Museum Building, commemorating the oldest botanical society in America.