Leonard Cockayne (7 April 1855 – 8 July 1934) is regarded as New Zealand's greatest botanist and a founder of modern science in New Zealand.

Biography

He was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

, England where he attended Wesley College. He travelled to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

in 1877 and shortly moved on to New Zealand where he became established as a botanist. In June 1901, he attended the first conference of horticulturists in New Zealand at

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

where he presented a paper on the plants of the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about t ...

and advocated the establishment of experimental plant research stations in New Zealand. This helped to establish Cockayne's reputation. Cockayne was a member of the 1907 Sub-Antarctic Islands Scientific Expedition. The main aim of the expedition was to extend the magnetic survey of New Zealand by investigating

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

and

Campbell Islands The Campbell Islands (or Campbell Island Group) are a group of subantarctic islands, belonging to New Zealand. They lie about 600 km south of Stewart Island. The islands have a total area of , consisting of one big island, Campbell Isl ...

but botanical, biological and zoological surveys were also conducted. The voyage also resulted in rescue of the castaways of the shipwreck the '' Dundonald'' in the Auckland Islands. Cockayne's major contributions to botany were in plant ecology and in his theories of hybridisation. In 1899 he published the first New Zealand account of successional changes in vegetation. Between 1897 and 1930 he published 49 papers in the '' Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand''. He was elected Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1912 on the proposal of Sir J. D. Hooker and was awarded the

Hector Memorial Medal The Hector Medal, formerly known as the Hector Memorial Medal, is a science award given by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in memory of Sir James Hector to researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded annually in rotation for different science ...

in that same year. In 1914 he was awarded the Hutton Memorial Medal and in 1932 the

Veitch Memorial Medal The Veitch Memorial Medal is an international prize issued annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Goal The prize is awarded to "persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement o ...

of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

. Cockayne corresponded frequently with famous botanists all over the world. This helped facilitate the publication of New Zealand papers in overseas journals. He was also instrumental in bringing visitors to New Zealand.

Johannes Paulus Lotsy Johannes Paulus Lotsy or Jan Paulus Lotsy (11 April 1867 – 17 November 1931) was a Dutch botanist, specializing in evolution and heredity. He promoted the idea of evolution being driven by hybridization. Career Lotsy was born into a wealth ...

, the Dutch botanist, lectured on the place of hybrids in evolution. The Swedish couple Einar and Greta Du Rietz stayed six months in the summer of 1926–27 collecting from the Far North to the subantarctic islands, paying special attention to lichens. The director of Kew Gardens, Sir Arthur Hill, came in 1928. Cockayne also assisted and encouraged fellow botanists in their work. He was thanked by co-authors

Robert Malcolm Laing The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, ho ...

and

Ellen Wright Blackwell Ellen Wright Blackwell (7 October 1864 – 24 February 1952) was a writer and botanist who made a lasting impact on the field of botany in New Zealand. She was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England on 7 October 1864. Biography ...

in the preface of their classic book of New Zealand biology ''Plants of New Zealand'' for "helping us over many slippery places and for much generous assistance freely given”. He encouraged

Charles Ethelbert Foweraker Charles Ethelbert Foweraker (1886- 24 March 1964) was a New Zealand botanist, forester, and academic, primarily focused on mountain plants and rainforests in New Zealand. Early life and education Foweraker was born at Waimate, South Canterbury, Ne ...

, later senior lecturer in botany, and sometime lecturer in charge of the Forestry School, at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, in his career, the two men having first corresponded in 1911 when Cockayne was writing ''The Vegetation of New Zealand''; the two went together on many expeditions in Marlborough and Canterbury. In the 1929 King's Birthday Honours, Cockayne was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

, for honorary scientific services to the New Zealand government. Grave Otari-Wilton Bush

The Cockayne Reserve in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, Cockayne Memorial Garden at

Christchurch Botanic Gardens The Christchurch Botanic Gardens, located in the Christchurch Central City, central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, were founded in 1863 when an English oak was planted to commemorate the solemnisation of the marriage of Edward VII of the Uni ...

, the Cockayne Nature Walk near

Otira Otira is a small township fifteen kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the northern approach to the pass, a saddle between the Otira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps. A possible meanin ...

on the West Coast, and the Cockayne Lookout in

Otari-Wilton's Bush Otari-Wilton's Bush is a native botanic garden and forest reserve located in Wilton in Wellington, New Zealand. It is the only public botanic garden that is dedicated solely to the native plants of New Zealand. Overview Otari-Wilton's Bus ...

(

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

) dedicated solely to New Zealand native plants, are all named after him. His son Alfred Cockayne also became a noted botanist.

Bibliography

''New Zealand Plants and Their Story''
1910 *''Observations Concerning Evolution, Derived from Ecological Studies in New Zealand''

1923 *''Trees of New Zealand'' (with E. Phillips Turner) *''Report on the dune-areas of New Zealand: their geology, botany and reclamation.'' *''Report on a botanical survey of Stewart Island'' * *

References

External links

the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New ZealandLeonard Cockayne: Horticulturist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockayne, Leonard 1855 births 1934 deaths English emigrants to New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand botanists Scientists from Sheffield Veitch Memorial Medal recipients New Zealand Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at Wesley College, Sheffield New Zealand horticulturists New Zealand conservationists 19th-century New Zealand botanists Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George