On October 1st, 1993 Professor Dr. Hermann Otto Sleumer died at the age of 87, after a short illness. His ashes have been interred at Liederbach (near Kirchberg), Germany. Dr. Sleumer had been our colleague at the Rijksherbarium and eminent contributor to Flora Malesiana for many years. He generously shared his vast knowledge and experience with many of us. For younger botanists the many anecdotes and intimate stories he indulged in telling about colleagues he had known, especially from the Englerian circles in Berlin, were always an enriching and entertaining experience.