George Maxwell (1804–1880) was a professional collector of plants and insects in Southwest Australia. The
botanical
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
specimens he obtained were used to make formal descriptions of the region's plant species.
Biography
He was born in England in 1804 and moved to Western Australia in 1840 to settle at
King George Sound
King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...
, remaining there until his death at Middleton Beach in 1880. Maxwell occupied himself a number of activities, selling curios and offering to guide visitors to the port. He began collecting plants and insects of the region, assisting the botanist
James Drummond in 1846. The collections he made, in the company of Drummond and
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...
, would provide type specimens for the publication of scientific descriptions. Maxwell's collections are now preserved in Australian herbarium, his contribution to the botanical knowledge of the region and ''
Flora Australiensis
''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume flora of Australia published be ...
'' was noted by Mueller in ''
the Gardeners' Chronicle
''The Gardeners' Chronicle'' was a British horticulture periodical. It lasted as a title in its own right for nearly 150 years and is still extant as part of the magazine ''Horticulture Week''.
History
Founded in 1841 by the horticulturists Josep ...
'';
Only two years ago I made long journeys with him over rough country for several days on horseback to collect plants and seeds. More than 30 years ago he conducted Drummond through the Stirling Ranges in the journey that proved so memorable in the discovery of many splendid plants. He was nearly always in the bush, and engaged in collecting seeds, botanical and entomological specimens. Encouraged by myself, he undertook several extensive journeys over then untrodden ground, eastward as far as the Great Bight, and thus found many new plants and enabled us to extend the known limits of the range of many rare species, as recorded in the ''Flora Australiensis''.
The expedition with Drummond began in the
Stirling Ranges
The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranb ...
in 1846, continuing on to
Cape Riche
Cape Riche is a cape and rural locality in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. By road, it is 525 km south-east of Perth and 123 km north-east of Albany
Facilities in the locality include a boat launching ramp and a c ...
and
Mount Barren. The specimens obtained on their journey became known as Drummond's fourth collection, many of which are referenced in published descriptions of the region's species.
Maxwell is thought to have been partnered with
William Webb, who continued the trade in specimens after his death.
The following species were named by Mueller and
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_February_1747.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.htm ...
in recognition of this collector:
*''Eriostemon maxwelli''
*''Genosiris maxwelli'', transferred to ''
Patersonia maxwellii''
* ''
Lasiopetalum maxwellii''
* ''
Phymatocarpus maxwellii''
*''Pimelea maxwelli'' (''
Pimelea brevifolia subsp. brevifolia'')
*''Poa maxwelli'' (''
Poa serpentum'')
References
Further reading
*A. E. Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed., ABRS.
*Maiden, J. H. (1909) Records of Western Australian Botanists. Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society. 2(6):5-33
*David Morrison, Alex George (2004) Plate 492. ''Lechenaultia acutiloba'' Goodeniaceae
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''.
Each of the issue ...
21 (2), 111–113
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, George
People from the South West (Western Australia)
Botanical collectors active in Australia
1880 deaths
1804 births