James Dickson
James J. Dickson , also Jacobus , Jacobi Dickson , (* 1738 in Kirkhouse near Traquair , Scottish Borders , Scotland , † August 14, 1822 in Croydon ) was a Scottish-British gardener, botanist and mycologist .
Life
The son of a gardener learned gardening in the gardens of the Earl of Traquair (see Traquair House ), then worked - literature and web links differ a little here - with different families or ran his own gardening business, first in Perth and then moved to London, where he worked in nurseries in Kensington and Hammersmith . In 1772 he opened his own plant and seed shop in Covent Garden and became acquainted with William Forsyth , whom he supplied with plants. With a special focus on mosses and other non-flowering plants, he went on several botanical excursions to Scotland and the Hebrides . Dickson was friends with Joseph Banks , who gave him access to his botanical book collection and entrusted him with the care of the British Museum's botanical garden .
Between 1785 and 1801 he published his four-volume main work Fasciculus plantarum cryptogamicarum Britanniae , in which he described 400 species of mosses, algae and fungi that occur in the British Isles .
After the death of his wife, Dickson married the sister of the explorer Mungo Park in 1786 . He brought Mungo Park into contact with Joseph Banks, who funded Park's expedition to West Africa in 1795. In 1788 Dickson was a co-founder of the Linnean Society and in 1804 the Royal Horticultural Society . He spent his old age as a wealthy man in Croydon.
Honor taxon
The genus Dicksonia of tree ferns is named after him. Its botanical author abbreviation is “ Dicks. "
Fonts
- Fasciculus Plantarum Cryptogamicarum Britanniae . London, 1785, 1801, 4 °.
- A Collection of Dried Plants, named on the authority of the Linnaean Herbarium, and other original collections . London, 1787-1799, small folio.
- Botanical Catalog alphabetically arranged according to the Linnaean System . London, 1797, 8 °.
- Observations on Polyposium Oreopteris, accompanied with a Specimen from Scotland . Trans. Linn. Soc. i. 181. 1791.
- An Account of some Plants newly discovered in Scotland . Ibid. ii. 286.1794.
- Observations on the Genus of Porella, and the Phascum Caulescens of Linnaeus . Ibid. 238.1797.
- On a variety of the Brassica Napus, or Rape, which has long been cultivated upon the continent . Trans. Hortic. Soc. i. 26th 1815.
- Observations on, and an Account of the Tubers of the Lathyrus Tuberosus, with Instructions for the Cultivation of the Plant in a Garden . Ibid. ii. 359. 1817.
- On the Cultivation of the Rampion . Ibid. iii. 19th 1818.
literature
George William Johnson: A history of English gardening , London 1829, p. 285 f.
Web links
- Fasciculus Plantarum Cryptogamicarum Britanniae. London 1785, on Wikimedia Commons
- Fasciculus Plantarum Cryptogamicarum Britanniae. Edition of Vellozo, Lisbon 1800, on Wikimedia Commons
- James Dickson, biography
- James Dickson, Vita
- James Dickson, Opera
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Dickson, James |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dickson, Jacobus |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British gardener, botanist and mycologist |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1738 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Kirkhouse at Traquair |
DATE OF DEATH | August 14, 1822 |
Place of death | Croydon |