Born 1787 in Inverarity, Forfar, Died 1863 in Perth, Australia.
James Drummond (1787–1863) was a pioneering botanical collector in Western Australia whose extensive shipments of seeds, living plants, and dried specimens to the
UK were instrumental in documenting the flora of the Swan River Colony.
His primary contributions to UK botany include:
Systematic Collections for Kew Gardens: At the request of Sir William Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Drummond organized his findings into six major collections between 1839 and 1852. These shipments included thousands of specimens, some of which Hooker described as "fine and remarkable species" rarely seen from any one country.
Discovery of New Species: Drummond's collections formed the basis for several significant botanical publications in the UK. John Lindley used them for his Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony (1839), and George Bentham frequently referred to them in Flora Australiensis. Over 100 plant species were eventually named in his honor.
Extensive Exploration: To gather material for export, Drummond undertook numerous expeditions across Western Australia's southern lands, often accompanied by his son Johnston. These journeys covered diverse regions including the Stirling Ranges, King George Sound, and Champion Bay.
Specialized Specimens: He personally favored and collected large quantities of carnivorous plants (such as Drosera), orchids, and Stylidium species. While he collected these thousands of items, he left the formal description and publication to his colleagues in London, including Hooker and Lindley.
Living Plant and Seed Exports: Beyond dried herbarium specimens, he exported living plants and seeds to UK collectors and botanical gardens. His early work for James Mangles helped establish his reputation, though many early attempts to ship live plants failed due to the long sea voyage.
Text from the Pitlochry Explorer's Garden Notice.
Drummond started work for G. Dickson, the Edinburgh nurseryman, before becoming curator of Cork Botanic Garden in 1808. 20 years later he was appointed to lay out a new botanic garden for a colony in Western Australia. The Horticulture Society in London supplied a collection of seed - mostly vegetables and fruit, chrysanthemums and dahlias.
Drummond, now a middle-aged man with a family, had been given high hopes of further promotion, but as times grew hard his post was abolished. He then became the Government Naturalist, but funding also stopped for this post just two years later, so he became instead an independent collector, sending consignments of seed back to the UK.
There are no accounts of Drummond's travels until he entered into correspondence with W. J. Hooker in 1840. It was then, aged 54, that he made his first expedition to King George's Sound - a 300 mile round trip. Unfortunately, he also injured his foot and this curtailed his ability to fulfil orders as well as anticipated. By 1842, he was active again, making an expedition to Augusta and discovering Dasypogon hookerii.
In 1843, he made an ambitious tour of the south east: it was his most successful trip, on which he found the black flowered Boronia megastigma, Banksias and Dryandras.
He sent home Anigozanthos pulcherrimus, Backhousia myrtifolia and Leschenaultia laricina, but sale of his finds hardly covered his expenses.
Aged 66, he made his most difficult journey yet to Murchiston River, which lasted 18 months: sadly there is no journal or account of this expedition. This tough and extraordinary man was still sending seeds back to England in 1861.
Key Find: Swan River Daisy - Brachycome iberidifolia
Key Fact: Drummond introduced the Yellow Kangaroo Paw -
Anigozanthos pulcherrimus - from Australia to the UK, where its unusual texture and delicate shape has made it a favourite plant for British florists to use in modern floral arrangements