Gerrit Davidse, now retired as curator emeritus, has worked as a curator and research scientist at the Missouri Botanical Garden since 1972. During that time his research interests have focused on the grass family Poaceae, especially those of tropical America. Along with Mario Sousa, Instituto de Biología, Mexico City, and Arthur Chater, Natural History Museum, London, he was a founding member of the Flora Mesoamerica in 1980. In addition, he contributed various taxonomic treatments and worked as a coeditor of this project. Although his field work has focused primarily on the American tropics, he has also participated in exploratory expeditions in South America, Africa, and Sri Lanka.