Based on the era immediately following the Victorian period (roughly late 19th to mid-20th century), the most influential "plant hunters" were driven by the search for exotic species for British gardens, particularly from China, the Himalayas, and South America
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Here are 20 of the most significant plant collectors from this era, including several prominent female collectors:
Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson (1876–1930): Known for introducing over 2,000 Asian species, including Lilium regale and many rhododendrons.
George Forrest (1873–1932): Scottish collector who made 7 expeditions to Yunnan, China, introducing thousands of species (rhododendrons, primulas).
Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885–1958): Prolific explorer who undertook 25 expeditions to Tibet and Burma, known for finding Meconopsis betonicifolia (Himalayan blue poppy).
Reginald Farrer (1880–1920): Famous for his expeditions to China and Tibet (1914–1920) and his writing on alpine plants.
William Purdom (1880–1921): Explored Northern China and Tibet with Farrer, introducing many trees and shrubs.
Augustine Henry (1857–1930): Irish doctor/botanist who identified thousands of Chinese plants while working for the Imperial Maritime Customs Service.
Harold Comber (1897–1969): Collected extensively in the Andes and Tasmania for the Royal Horticultural Society and private collectors.
Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911): While starting in the Victorian era, his major Himalayan work shaped post-Victorian botany.
Isobel Wylie Hutchinson (1889–1982): Scottish botanist who collected in the Arctic, Greenland, and Aleutian Islands.
Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe (1867–1967): Irish plant hunter who discovered Magnolia wheeler-cuffiae in Burma.
Marianne North (1830–1890): Though Victorian, her extensive documentation of world flora continued to influence early 20th-century botanical illustration and collection.
Arthur Kerr (1877–1942): Botanist who collected in Thailand.
Colin Graham Trapnell (1907–2004): Ecologist who collected in Africa.
Norman Douglas Simpson (1890–1974): British botanist known for his work in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
William C. Buchanan: Known for fern cultivation and collecting.
Wilhelm Micholitz: Collected for Sander & Sons in the Philippines and South America.
Charles Maries: Collected for Veitch Nurseries, exploring Japan and China.
Ellen Willmott (1858–1934): A wealthy horticulturalist who funded expeditions and introduced many plants to her gardens.
Frank Meyer (1875–1918): "Plant hunter" for the USDA who brought many fruit trees from Asia to the West.
Thomas Beale: A key collector in China for the Horticultural Society.
Key Trends in this Era
The Chinese Focus: The shift from the Americas to southwestern China (Yunnan) was massive, with collectors looking for "botanical status symbols" for elite gardens.
Sponsorship: Many, such as George Forrest, were funded by private collectors like A.K. Bulley or nurseries like Veitch.
Methodology: Collectors moved beyond just taking pressed specimens (herbaria) to sending back live seeds, bulbs, and plants, aided by the Wardian case.