Career
He was known as a plant collector, plant curator, nursery owner, author, and conservationist. He was instrumental in promoting cycads as a garden feature in Southern California through his nursery and other contributions. Several plants were named in his honor including Encephalartos whitelockii and Ceratozamia whitelockiana.
He created, owned, managed, curated for, and grew plants for is a botanical garden and nursery located on about an acre of land in back of his home in Eagle Rock, California. lieutenant contains one of the most extensive collections of Cycads in the world, and is noted for its importance to conservation efforts.
lieutenant was described by the Los Angeles Times as “monumental and weird… walking through it is like traveling back in time to Jurassic days”. Whitelock earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology, studying in botany, zoology, and microbiology.
He worked for the Los Angeles City and County Health Departments then became a landscape designer in Los Los Angeles Whitelock was known for his extensive travels to remote locations in search of cycads, and for his conservation efforts, described by the Los Angeles Times as “a local legend”.
Whitelock was a frequent commentator on theft of valuable rare and endangered plants from the wild, and of very valuable specimens from private collections.
