George Loddiges (1784/1786 – 5 May 1846) was a British gardener, artist, and naturalist. He worked in the nursery business established by his father and illustrated nearly 2000 plates of plants in the nursery's own periodical, the Botanical Cabinet published between 1817 and 1833. He also planned a book on the hummingbirds but this was not published. The hummingbird genus '' Loddigesia'' is named after him. George was born in

Hackney, Middlesex Hackney Central is a sub-district of Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney in London, England and is four miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The Hackney Central area is focused on Mare Street and the retail areas to the north ...

. Some give the date as 12 March 1786, while other sources suggest 1784. He was the son of

Joachim Conrad Loddiges The Loddiges family (not uncommonly mis-spelt ''Loddige'') managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into European ...

(c.1738–1826) and Sarah Aldous. Joachim Loddiges was a German-born nurseryman who founded Conrad Loddiges and Sons, one of the largest nurseries in the 1800s. Along with his brother William, George also trained in the trade of plants and the management of nurseries. The family managed special greenhouses and a 9 acre arboretum for tropical plants and were reputed for their collections of palms and orchids. George Loddiges was involved in establishing the

Abney Park cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

garden in 1839-40. The Loddiges worked with plant collectors from around the world as well as botanists.

Hugh Cuming Hugh Cuming (14 February 1791 – 10 August 1865) was an England, English collecting, collector who was interested in natural history, particularly in conchology and botany. He has been described as the "Prince of Collectors". Born in England, he ...

was one of their collectors and

Nathaniel Ward Nathaniel Ward (1578 – October 1652) was a Puritan clergyman and pamphleteer in England and Massachusetts. Biography A son of John Ward, a noted Puritan minister, he was born in Haverhill, Suffolk, England. He studied law and graduated fr ...

was a friend. Several species of plant have been named after members of the Loddiges family. Loddiges was a member of the councils of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

, the Horticultural Society, and the Microscopical Society. He had a collection of 200 species of hummingbirds which were acquired by the British Museum of Natural History in 1933. He had planned to publish a book on the hummingbirds. He married Jane Creighton (1787–1859) in 1811 and they had a son, Conrad, and two daughters, one of whom was married to the artist

Edward William Cooke Edward William Cooke (27 March 1811 – 4 January 1880) was an English landscape and marine painter, and gardener. Life and work Cooke was born in Pentonville, London, the son of well-known line engraver George Cooke; his uncle, William B ...

. Loddiges died in Hackney, and was buried at St John-at-Hackney. The nursery was taken over by his son Conrad.

References

External links

The Botanical Cabinet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loddiges, George English botanists Botanical illustrators 1786 births 1846 deaths