Five Fact Friday: Plant Hunters - David Douglas

1. Born in Scone on 25 July 1799, he began an gardening apprenticeship in 1810. He died on 12 July 1834, in what has become a sadly infamous death, falling into a deep pit trap for wild cattle and seemingly being killed by the bullock that had already fallen in.

2. David Douglas was one of those people that are just very unlucky. One example being his first trip to North America. Upon disembarkation he was told my immigration officials that he was too scruffy to land. Permission to land was granted when he purchased some new clothes.

3. He travelled extensively and after only being in North America for 8 months, he had travelled 2,105 miles. Almost doubling this in the following year by travelling 3,932 miles.

4. David Douglas is credited with the discovery of over 200 new species of plants. It was, however, the conifers he introduced that changed the garden landscape of Britain. The Douglas fir is named after him. This also has the Latin name of Pseudotsuga menziesii, after Menzie who had previously explored the Pacific North-west - but was confined to his cabin by Captain Vancouver, who was fed up of the crew helping him collect plants.

5. Other plants that Douglas discovered include: Ribes sanguineum, Garry elliptica, and Pinus radiata.


Resources:
Musgrave, T. (1998) The Plant Hunters, London, The Orion Publishing Group

Common spangle gall - Neuroterus quercusbaccarum

Symptoms: Develops on the underside of the leaves of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea). The discs begin as yellow-green and age to become reddish.

Cause: Caused by a small gall wasp called Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. These galls are created when the wasps of the currant gall generation emerge and lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves. The offspring of these eggs will emerge around April and the cycle will begin again.

Control: There doesn't appear to be much stress on the tree, so can be left in place. Also there can be many galls on each tree, making it very difficult to keep under control.

Five Fact Friday: Plant Hunters - Frank Kingdon-Ward

1. Frank Kingdon-Ward born to Professor Harry Marshall Ward in 1885.
2. His father died prematurely, lacking money to continue his education Kingdon-Ward had to find a job. He rushed his studies and got the first job that would take him abroad. This job was as a teacher at the Shanghai Public School in 1907, which he didn't really enjoy - seeing it as a means to an end.
3. He set of in September 1909 for his first official plant hunting expedition. Returning a year later to his teaching job. By 1911 he was off again, spending much of the next 45 years on hunting for plants.
4. Kingdon-Ward had a fantastic memory for locations, which enabled him to return to collect seed at the right time - for instance being the first to bring viable seed of the blue poppy. It seems that he really enjoyed these trips and would travel with his first wife, later with his second wife. Even at the age of 73 years old he was planning another trip, although he sadly fell ill, collapsing into a coma and dying on 8 April 1958.
5. He introduced plants such as Lilium mackliniae, Primula florindae, and the lovely Cotoneaster conspicuus.


Resources:
Musgrave, T. (1998) The Plant Hunters, London, The Orion Publishing Group