All hail the plant hunters

Plant hunting is still a thing. The rate of ongoing plant extinction means we need a better understanding of the world’s biodiversity. There are approximately another 20% of plant species lurking undiscovered in remote parts of the world, and we require the expertise of a very select group of people to find them.

The exploits of the first British plant hunters, up to the perceived ‘Golden Age’ of plant hunting, have been well documented. What would the UK’s botanical and domestic gardens look like without the life-long passion and endurance of titans such as the Johns Tradescant (father 1570-1638, son 1608-1662), Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), Joseph Banks (1742-1820), Marianne North (1830-1890), Ernest Wilson (1876-1930), George Forrest (1873-1932), Reginald Farrer (1880-1920) or, arguably the most famous plant hunter of them all, Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958)? There would be no camellias, lilies, viburnums, rhododendrons or orchids, and British gardens would not have undergone their dramatic transformations, particularly since the Victorian Era (1837-1901). But, plant hunting did not come screeching to a halt in 1958, despite the majority of publications about the subject choosing to focus on the exploits of individuals born before this time. The very particular type of person to whom plant hunting is a way of life still exists, and they have stories and discoveries that are just as interesting (perhaps more so) than their esteemed predecessors.

There have been more new plants discovered in the past thirty years than at any other point in history; the plant hunters have been busy. Our contemporary plant hunters must concern themselves with a greater range of activities than the plant hunters of old ever did. Aspects such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, habitat destruction, changes in land use and with it plant loss and decreasing biodiversity, plant disease, conservation and botanical tourism, all ensure plant hunting takes place within increasingly pressurised, political and generally fraught global contexts. ‘Intrepid’ seems to undersell the work of these driven, knowledgeable and brilliant people as they navigate international legislation, logistical planning, plant collection ethics, perilous locations from the Himalayas to the Amazonian rainforest, comprehensive documentation and specimen transport in the field. Next time you cast your eyes over the plant inhabitants of a specialist nursery or botanical garden, take a moment to consider the blood (sometimes), sweat (definitely) and tears (often) it took to get them there.

To find out more about the debt we owe to our 20th and 21st Century plant hunters, check out the resources below. You won’t be bored:

Modern Plant Hunters - Adventures in Pursuit of Extraordinary Plants by Dr Sandy Primrose. (Currently the only book telling the stories of modern plant hunters. Covering a varied range of plant hunters and plant types, it’s a detailed, inspiring and eye-opening read);

Any Google search result for Dr Sandra (Sandy) Knapp. Queen of the nightshade family and worth all our admiration;

A look through the sheer number of plant introductions attributed to the legendary Mikinoro Ogisu, friend and associate of Roy Lancaster and the expert on Chinese plants;

The rad Lance Birk, Last Orchid Hunter and he of Gullwing Mercedes orchid smuggling fame;

Crûg Farm Nursery in North Wales, owned by the dynamic duo Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones (also with Dan Hinkley). Nailing the division of labour in the field and with numerous hair-raising encounters to speak of, this couple has completed over 30 expeditions and their nursery is testament to their dedication and general heroism.

William Condry’s Biography of Mary Richards. Mary is no longer with us, but her legacy as the most successful collector in Africa for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew still is.

Plant hunter | “One who looks for plants, acquiring plant specimens for the purposes of research, conservation and cultivation”

Image credit: Wikicommons, Photographer Ivan Bandura

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