Garden Tool Set

Five Fact Friday: Plant Hunters - Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

1. Born on 30 June 1817 in Halesworth, Suffolk to Sir William Hooker. Joseph took a keen interest in botany from an early age, often attending his father's lectures. He died peacefully at the age of 94.
2. On 28 September 1839, Hooker sailed out of the Medway to Antarctica on board HMS Erebus. Despite many dangers, the trip set the record at the time of crossing the 78^o parallel. Hooker was also able to botanise on three different continents, including the following locations: Cape of Good Hope, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, and South America. He arrived back in England on September 9 1841.
3. After receiving a £400 pa two year grant from the treasury, Hooker left Southampton on November 11 1847 bound for Alexandria. He travelled extensively through Sikkim and unknowingly set another world record of the time - ascending to 19,300 ft on Mt donkia - to get a better view.
4. Hooker was a fiercely loyal friend, commonly known for keeping Darwin's studies of Natural Selection a secret until Wallace sent his letter unknowingly making the same observations. Another episode shows how good a friend he could be: in Sikkim, his friend Campbell was taken prisoner. Hooker was told that he was free to go, but decided to stay at his friend's side. This incident lead to Sikkim being annexed to India.
5. Important plants discovered by Hooker, of course include the Rhododendrons - which lead to the mania for Rhododendrons. Other discoveries include the primulas, P. capitata and P. sikkimensis.


Resources:
Musgrave, T. (1998) The Plant Hunters, London, The Orion Publishing Group