James (Jacobus) J. Dickson (1738–1822) was a Scottish

nurseryman A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general p ...

plant collector Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collecting i ...

, botanist and mycologist. Between 1785 and 1801 he published his ''Fasciculus plantarum cryptogamicarum Britanniae'', a four-volume work in which he published over 400 species of algae and

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

that occur in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

''Jacobi Dickson Fasciculus (-fasciculus quartus) plantarum Cryptogamicarum Britanniæ''. MS. notes. 4 fasc. pl. XII. Prostant venales apud auctorem; G. Nicol: Londini, 1785-1801. 4º. (2 copies in the British Library) He is also the author of ''Collection of Dried Plants, Named on the Authority of the Linnaean Herbarium and Other Original Collections''. The plant genus ''

Dicksonia ''Dicksonia'' is a genus of tree ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is regarded as related to ''Cyathea'', but is considered to retain more primitive traits, dating back at least to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record includes ...

'' is named after him. James Dickson

Life

He was born at Kirke House,

Traquair Traquair ( gd, Cille Bhrìghde) is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders; until 1975 it was in the county of Peeblesshire. The village is situated on the B709 road south of Innerleithen at . History Traquair, said to mea ...

, Peeblesshire, of poor parents, and began life in the gardens of the Earl of Traquair. While still young he went to Jeffery's nursery-garden at Brompton, and in 1772 started in business for himself in Covent Garden. Dickson made several tours in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

in search of plants between 1785 and 1791, that of 1789 being in company with Mungo Park, whose sister became his second wife. Dickson in 1788 became one of the original members 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 ...

, and in 1804 was one of the eight original members and a vice-president of the Horticultural Society. He died at Broad Green,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Surrey, on 14 August 1822, his wife, a son, and two daughters surviving him. His portrait by

Henry Perronet Briggs Henry Perronet Briggs RA (1793 – 18 January 1844) was an English painter of portraits and historical scenes. Life Briggs was born at Walworth, County Durham, the son of a post office official. His cousin was Amelia Opie (née Alderson) ...

(1820) was lithographed.

Works

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...

threw open his library to him, and he acquired a wide knowledge of botany, and especially of

cryptogamic A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

plants. He published: * between 1785 and 1801 four ''Fasciculi Plantarum Cryptogamicarum Britanniæ'', containing in all four hundred descriptions; * between 1789 and 1799, ''A Collection of Dried Plants, named on the authority of the Linnæan Herbarium'', in seventeen folio fascicles, each containing twenty-five species; * in 1795, a ''Catalogus Plantarum Cryptogamicarum Britanniæ''; * and between 1793 and 1802, his ''Hortus Siccus Britannicus'', in nineteen folio fascicles. He wrote memoirs in the 'Transactions of the Linnean Society.

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

wrote him an epitaph and

Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle (; 15 June 1746 – 18 August 1800) was an 18th-century French botanist and civil servant. Born into an affluent upper-class Parisian family, connections with the French Royal Court secured him the position of ...

dedicated to him the genus ''Dicksonia'', among the

tree-fern The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tree ...

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External links

* http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst3157.html Scottish botanists Scottish botanical writers Scottish horticulturists Scottish mycologists 1738 births 1822 deaths Nurserymen Plant collectors Scottish gardeners Fellows of the Linnean Society of London People from the Scottish Borders People from Perth, Scotland 18th-century British botanists 19th-century British botanists 18th-century Scottish businesspeople 19th-century Scottish businesspeople {{UK-botanist-stub

Life

Works

See also

References

External links