Robert Sweet (1783–20 January 1835) was an English botanist, horticulturist and ornithologist.
Born at
Cockington
Cockington is a village near Torquay in the English county of Devon. It has old cottages within its boundaries, and is about a half a mile away from Torquay. Bus service 62 (Torquay circular) calls at the village five times per day (Mon-Fri) a ...
near
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...
,
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
shire, England in 1783, Sweet worked as a gardener from the age of sixteen, and became foreman or partner in a series of nurseries. He was associated with nurseries at Stockwell, Fulham and Chelsea. In 1812 he joined Colvills, the famous Chelsea nursery, and was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society. By 1818 he was publishing horticultural and botanical works.
He published a number of illustrated works on plants cultivated in British gardens and hothouses. The plates were mainly drawn by
Edwin Dalton Smith
Edwin Dalton Smith (1800-1866/1883), was an English artist and engraver, a painter of portraits and a botanical illustrator. His father was the engraver Anker Smith (1759-1819) and his home was in Chelsea, London. Most of his work was exhibite ...
(1800–1883), a botanical artist, who was attached to the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
. His works include ''Hortus Suburbanus Londinensis'' (1818), ''Geraniaceae'' (five volumes) (1820–30), ''Cistineae'', ''Sweet's Hortus Britannicus'' (1826–27), '' Flora Australasica'' (1827–28) and ''British Botany'' (with H. Weddell) (1831). He died at
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area.
Chelsea histori ...
in January 1835.
He was charged with receiving a batch of plants allegedly stolen from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. It was suggested that this was an attempt to frame him by an official at Kew whom Sweet had criticised. He was acquitted after a well-publicised trial.
Robert Sweet received high praise from his contemporaries at his trial and was described as possibly the first practical botanist.
Publications
*
*
*''British Warblers''
Sweet is the author of a number of plants, including:
* ''
Abutilon auritum
''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropicsLink) Sweet
* ''
Abutilon grandifolium
''Abutilon grandifolium'', the hairy Indian mallow, is a large shrub that is up to high with broad, leaf blades. Flowers are axillary, with a yellow corolla across, composed of petals long. The fruits are ovoid-globular schizocarps that are ...
Abutilon indicum
''Abutilon indicum'' (Indian abutilon, Indian mallow) is a small shrub in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions. This plant is a valuable medicinal and ornamental plant, its roots and leaves being used for curing fe ...
Agonis flexuosa
''Agonis flexuosa'' is a species of tree that grows in the south west of Western Australia. It is easily the most common of the '' Agonis'' species, and is one of the most recognisable trees of Western Australia, being commonly grown in park ...
Argemone ochroleuca
''Argemone ochroleuca'' is a species of prickly poppy, a flowering plant commonly known as pale Mexican prickly poppy or Mexican poppy. It is native to Mexico and is also an introduced weed in many temperate and tropical regions of the world. It ...
Cyanotis axillaris
''Cyanotis axillaris'' is a species of perennial plants in the family Commelinaceae
Commelinaceae is a family of flowering plants. In less formal contexts, the group is referred to as the dayflower family or spiderwort family. It is one of fiv ...
Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
DC.
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
– Holly-leaved Hovea
* ''
Ipomoea cairica
''Ipomoea cairica'' is a vining, herbaceous, perennial plant with palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers. A species of morning glory, it has many common names, including mile-a-minute vine, Messina creeper, Cairo morning glor ...
Wahlenbergia stricta
''Wahlenbergia stricta'', the Australian bluebell, tall bluebell or austral bluebell, is an Australian wildflower from the Campanulaceae
The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species i ...