George Maxwell (1804–1880) was a professional collector of plants and insects in Southwest Australia. The

botanical Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

specimens he obtained were used to make formal descriptions of the region's plant species.

Biography

Maxwell was born in England in 1804 and moved to Western Australia in 1840 to settle at

King George Sound King George Sound (Mineng ) is a sound (geography), sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came in ...

, remaining there until his death at Middleton Beach in 1880. He occupied himself a number of activities, selling curios and offering to guide visitors to the port. He began collecting plants and insects of the region, assisting the botanist James Drummond in 1846. The collections he made, in the company of Drummond and

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria, Australia ...

, would provide type specimens for the publication of scientific descriptions. Maxwell's collections are now preserved in Australian herbarium, his contribution to the botanical knowledge of the region and ''

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume Flora of Australia published b ...

'' was noted by Mueller in ''

the Gardeners' Chronicle ''The Gardeners' Chronicle'' was a British horticulture periodical. It lasted as a title in its own right for nearly 150 years and is still extant as part of the magazine '' Horticulture Week''. History Founded in 1841 by the horticulturists Jose ...

'';

Only two years ago I made long journeys with him over rough country for several days on horseback to collect plants and seeds. More than 30 years ago he conducted Drummond through the Stirling Ranges in the journey that proved so memorable in the discovery of many splendid plants. He was nearly always in the bush, and engaged in collecting seeds, botanical and entomological specimens. Encouraged by myself, he undertook several extensive journeys over then untrodden ground, eastward as far as the Great Bight, and thus found many new plants and enabled us to extend the known limits of the range of many rare species, as recorded in the ''Flora Australiensis''.

The expedition with Drummond began in the

Stirling Ranges The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranbro ...

in 1846, continuing on to

Cape Riche Cape Riche is a cape in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. By road, it is south-east of Perth and north-east of Albany. It is part of the locality of Wellstead and is south of the townsite. Facilities in the area include a bo ...

and Mount Barren. The specimens obtained on their journey became known as Drummond's fourth collection, many of which are referenced in published descriptions of the region's species. Maxwell is thought to have been partnered with William Webb, who continued the trade in specimens after his death. The following species were named by Mueller and

Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 4 February Dual dating, 1747/8 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.

5 February 1748 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S. 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

– 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder of mo ...

in recognition of this collector: *''Eriostemon maxwelli'' *''Genosiris maxwelli'', transferred to ''

Patersonia maxwellii ''Patersonia'', is a genus of plants whose species are commonly known as native iris or native flag and are native to areas from Malesia to Australia. Description They are perennials with basal leaves growing from a woody rhizome that in some sp ...

'' * '' Lasiopetalum maxwellii'' * '' Phymatocarpus maxwellii'' *''Pimelea maxwelli'' ('' Pimelea brevifolia subsp. brevifolia'') *''Poa maxwelli'' ('' Poa serpentum'') Botanical specimens collected by Maxwell are cared for at multiple institutions, including the

National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria (Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.56 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known ...

(MEL),

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) are botanical garden, botanic gardens across two sites–Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land w ...

Biography

References

Further reading