Richard Pearce (c.1835 – 17 July 1868) was a British plant collector, who introduced the tuberous

begonia ''Begonia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown ...

to England, which led to the development of the hybrid begonias grown today.

Early career

Pearce was born at Stoke, Devonport in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. His first employment was with Pontey's nursery in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, where he stayed until about 1858, when he went to work at the nursery of James Veitch at Mount Radford, near

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Plant collecting

James Veitch & Sons

In February 1859, Pearce was sent by Veitch to South America for three years as a "collector of plants, seeds, land-shells and other objects of Natural History". Pearce travelled initially to

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

, with instructions to collect in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

. In particular, he was directed to collect seeds of '' Libocedrus tetragona'', at that time supposed to be the tree which produced the famous Alerce timber. His agreement also required him to locate and collect the Chilean Bellflower, '' Lapageria rosea'' and its white variety '' L. alba'', the Chile Pine (then known as '' Araucaria imbricata'') and other hardy trees and shrubs as well as to collect

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

and stove ( hothouse) and greenhouse flowering plants. Pearce successfully carried out his instructions, and as well as the plants he was contracted to collect, he also obtained and introduced ''

Prumnopitys elegans ''Prumnopitys andina'', the lleuque or Chilean plum yew,Podocarpus nubigenus ''Podocarpus nubigenus'' (also known as ''P. nubigena'') is a species of podocarp, endemic to the Valdivian temperate forests of southern Chile and adjacent southwestern Argentina. It is the southernmost podocarp in the world. It grows from 38 ...

'', '' Eucryphia glutinosa'', several Bomareas, '' Cavendishia bracteata'', '' Ourisia coccinea'', ''Ourisia pearcei'' (a synonym of '' Ourisia coccinea'' subsp. ''coccinea'''')'' and quantities of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s, the Victorian fern craze then being at its height. His researches on this trip showed that the tree that produced Alerce timber was the Patagonian Cypress, ''

Fitzroya cupressoides ''Fitzroya'' is a monotypic genus in the cypress family. The single living species, ''Fitzroya cupressoides'', is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains and coastal regions of southern Chile, and only to the Argentine Andes, w ...

'' and not ''Libocedrus tetragona'' as had been previously thought. During 1860 Pearce made many journeys to the mountains and the interior of

. He wrote of the scenery of that part of the Chilean Cordilleras which he explored:

"It is of the most charming description: gently undulating meadows covered with a carpet of short grass, placid lakes reflecting from their smooth surface the mountains around, foaming cataracts and gentle rivulets, deep gorges and frightful precipices, over which tumble numerous dark, picturesque waterfalls reaching the bottom in a cloud of spray. High rocky pinnacles and lofty peaks, surround one on every side.
"Nor is the vegetation less beautiful and interesting. At an elevation of 4,000 ft. the vegetation exhibits a totally different character from that of the coast. Here one finds Antarctic Beeches ('' Fagus antarctica'' and '' F. betuloides''), which constitute with '' Fitzroya patagonica'' the large forest trees. The ''
Embothrium coccineum ''Embothrium coccineum'', Chilean firetree or Chilean firebush, commonly known in Chile and Argentina as ''notro'', ''ciruelillo'' and ''fósforo'' is a small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. It grows in the temperate for ...
'', ''
Desfontainia spinosa ''Desfontainia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Columelliaceae, though it was placed formerly in Loganiaceae, Potaliaceae (later subsumed in Gentianaceae), or a family of its own, Desfontainiaceae. The genus was named for the Fr ...
'', '' Philesia buxifolia'', three species of
Berberis ''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America a ...
, Pernettya and
Gaultheria ''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 283 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his '. These pl ...
are the most abundant of the flowering shrubs, whilst the numerous pretty little rock-plants meet one at every step with their various forms and colours."

Early in 1862 Pearce left Chile and travelled north to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, before moving on to

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

in search of stove and greenhouse plants. From Cuenca he sent seeds of many plants, including '' Befaria ledifolia'', '' Lisianthus magnificus'', ''

Calceolaria ''Calceolaria'' (), also called lady's purse, slipper flower and pocketbook flower,"Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", pp. 166-167 Könemann, 2004. or slipperwort, is a genus of plants in the ...

ericoides'', and several kinds of '' Tacsonia'', before returning from

Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...

to Britain with six large

Wardian case The Wardian case was an early type of terrarium, a sealed protective container for plants. It found great use in the 19th century in protecting foreign plants imported to Europe from overseas, the great majority of which had previously died from ...

s of plants, amongst which was a handsome plant of the

Marantaceae The Marantaceae are a family, the arrowroot family, or the prayer plant family, of flowering plants consisting of 31 genera and around 530 species, defining it as one of the most species-rich families in its order. Kennedy, H. (2000). “Diversif ...

, which was named '' Calathea veitchiana'' in honour of his employers. In January 1863, James Veitch again sent him to South America on another three-year expedition "to collect plants, seeds and other objects of Natural History". He travelled initially to

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, from where he was to travel to "such parts of South America as by written instructions to him should be determined. Particular attention was to be directed to the

Tucumán Province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neighb ...

, rgentinashould there be facilities for reaching that country." His travels took him through Peru,

and

, before eventually reaching Tucumán. Amongst the plants that he discovered on this expedition and introduced to European hot-houses were '' Aphelandra nitens'' and ''

Sanchezia nobilis ''Sanchezia'' is a genus of the plant family Acanthaceae. It contains 45 species. Members of this genus are shrubs, rarely small trees or herbs, occurring in the lowlands of tropical South and Central America. A close relative is '' Suessengut ...

''. From Argentina, he collected '' Nierembergia rivularis'' and '' N. veitchii'', '' Palava flexuosa'', '' Mutisia decurrens'' and several varieties of

Peperomia ''Peperomia'' is one of the two large genera of the family Piperaceae. It is estimated that there are at least over 1,000 species, occurring in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are concentrated in South and Central America, ...

. On his return to

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

, in November 1865 he also sent back to England a number of

Hippeastrum ''Hippeastrum'' () is a genus of 116 species, and over 600 Hybrid (biology), hybrids and cultivars, of perennial plant, perennial, herbaceous plant, herbaceous and bulbous plants, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, ...

s, including '' H. pardinum'' and '' H. leopoldii'' and some samples of Eccremocarpus which were subsequently lost. Pearce continued to explore the Andes; one of his final discoveries before returning to Britain was '' Masdevallia veitchiana'', which he discovered in

and successfully introduced to cultivation.

Begonias

Whilst exploring in the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

, Pearce discovered three varieties of tuberous begonia, which were introduced to Britain, and became the fore-runners of the many varieties now available: :'' Begonia boliviensis'' was discovered in the

n Andes by Pearce in 1864 and shortly afterwards was introduced to Europe. ''Begonia boliviensis'' is of special historical interest to gardeners, being one of the species used by John Seden in the production of the first hybrid tuberous begonia raised in Britain, '' Begonia × sedenii''. :'' Begonia pearcei'', discovered in Bolivia in 1864, is also important in the hybridising of the '' Begonia × tuberhybrida'' begonias, the first of which appeared in 1867. :'' Begonia veitchii'' was introduced to Europe in 1866 after Pearce discovered it in the Peruvian Andes near

Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...

at an elevation of from 10,000–12,000 feet. ''Begonia veitchii'' played an important role in the development of today's popular

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s and, together with Pearce's other introductions, ''B. boliviensis'' and ''B. pearcei'', was subsequently hybridized to produce the '' Begonia × tuberhybrida'' cultivar group. Pearce also brought back from Peru a species he named ''Begonia rosiflora'', but this has subsequently been considered to be the same as ''B. veitchii'', since the two forms differ only slightly, mainly in flower colour.

Later career and death

On returning from

in 1866, Pearce's contract with

James Veitch & Sons The Veitch Nurseries were the largest group of family-run plant nurseries in Europe during the 19th century. Started by John Veitch sometime before 1808, the original nursery grew substantially over several decades and was eventually split into ...

was terminated and he returned to his home at Plymouth, where he married. In 1867 he moved to London where he was contracted by William Bull to travel back to South America in search of '' Masdevallia veitchiana''. On arrival in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

he set off in search of a species of ''

Cypripedium ''Cypripedium'' is a genus of 58 species and nothospecies of hardy Orchidaceae, orchids; it is one of five genera that together compose the subfamily of lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae). They are widespread across much of the Northern He ...

'' (''C. planifolium'') which he had been advised was growing nearby.About Orchids – A Chat by Frederick Boyle (1893)
/ref> His search was in vain and following his return to

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, he was taken ill on 13 July, and died on 17 July 1867 (aged 33) of yellow fever transmitted by a

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

bite. According to '' Hortus Veitchii'', ''"as a botanical collector Pearce was one of the best, and his untimely death was a great loss to the world of

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

".''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Richard 19th-century British botanists 1830s births 1868 deaths Scientists from Plymouth, Devon Veitch Nurseries Botanists active in South America