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Peter MacOwan (14 November 1830 in
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
, England – 30 November 1909 in Uitenhage, Cape Province) was a British colonial botanist and teacher in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
.


Early life and education

He was the son of Peter McOwan, a Wesleyan minister from Scotland. After finishing school he taught at
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
, Colchester and
Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
, and in 1857 taught chemistry at the
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into t ...
College Laboratory. That same year he graduated in chemistry from the University of London, becoming professor of chemistry at Huddersfield.


Botanical work

The year before, he married Amelia Day from Bristol. A severe lung condition, possibly asthma, caused him to move to South Africa and take up the post of principal at the newly established Shaw College in Grahamstown. His health rapidly improved and leaving chemistry behind he resumed studying botany in which he had become interested while still in England, having started a collection of flowers and mosses. This interest was furthered by his association with Dr William Guybon Atherstone, Henry Hutton and Mrs. FW Barber. He entered into a fruitful exchange of specimens and correspondence with Asa Gray of the States, Sir William Hooker of Kew and with Harvey and Sonder who were working on the ''Flora Capensis''. Finding it a drain on his own time to supply duplicates to overseas collectors, he formed the South African Botanical Exchange Society, which brought together a large number of amateur botanists. By 1868 roughly 9000 duplicates had been sent abroad, for which in return they received specimens from Europe, North America and Australia. His contributions are acknowledged in the introductions to ''Flora Capensis''. He assisted Atherstone and HG Galpin in confirming in 1867 that the Hopetown or Eureka Diamond was indeed a diamond. Eventually he became head of natural sciences at Gill College,
Somerset East Somerset East ( af, Somerset-Oos) is a town in the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was founded by Lord Charles Somerset in 1825. The Blue Crane Route follows the national road R63 from Pearston, via ...
, South Africa and then later director of the Cape Town Botanical Garden. During his time in Cape Town he collated specimens that Henry Flanagan from Kouga sent him. He was also the curator of the Cape Government Herbarium. Peter MacOwan's daughter Flora married Selmar Schonland in 1896. Plant pathology as a science in South Africa formally began in 1887 with the appointment of Peter MacOwan as the consultant in economic botany to the Cape Government.''The South African National Collection of Fungi: celebrating a centenary 1905-2005''


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- plant named after Peter MacOwan {{DEFAULTSORT:Macowan, Peter Plant collectors Botanists active in Africa English botanists British botanists Alumni of the University of London 1830 births 1909 deaths English people of Scottish descent