George Bentham. Botanist, pteridologist and English mycologist .
Summary
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- 1 Biographical synthesis
- 1 Career path
- 2 Death
- 2 Publications
- 3 Source
Biographical synthesis
He was born on 22 of September of 1800 in Stoke near Portsmouth , England . Son of Sir Samuel Bentham , he was the only brother of Jeremy Bentham .
He did not have a school education nor in higher schools, but from an early age, he acquired the power to keep his attention focused on any matter or topic that he liked. At the age of seven, he was able to speak French , German, and Russian , and learned Swedish during the short period of his residence in Sweden , studying Hebrew and mathematics at the Protestant theological school . In the end they settled near Montpellier where his father bought a farm.
Career path
Of all his studies, the one that most attracted him was the botanists, applying the logical methods of his uncle, and not because of a special interest in natural history . While studying at Angouleme he reached his hands a copy of Augusta Pyramus de Candolle from his Flore francaise, and he became interested in the analytical tables for identifying plants . He immediately proceeded to do a test to verify them with the first plant he found. The result was satisfactory, and he continued to apply it to each plant he encountered.
During a visit to London in 1823 , he came into contact with the circle of English botanists. In 1826 , and under pressure from his uncle, he agreed to work as his secretary. Jeremy Bentham died in 1832 , leaving his properties to his nephew. His father’s inheritance was in his hands the year before. He was now in a position of modest independence, having the possibility to pursue his favorite studies without distraction. For a time these were Botany , Jurisprudence , and Logic , in addition to editing the professional roles of his father.
In 1854 he concluded that maintaining his herbarium and his library was too expensive for him, so he offered it to the government , on the condition that they should be part of the nucleus of aid for research in the Kew Royal Botanical Garden . He also considered quitting his Botany jobs. Fortunately, he was persuaded by Sir William Jackson Hooker , John Lindley, and other friendly scientists to continue. In 1855 he settled in London, and worked at Kew for fivedays a week , with a short summer vacation , until the end of his life . The government in 1857 approved a scheme for the preparation of a series of descriptions of the Flora of the British Colonies in the English language.
Death
He died on October as September as 1884 ) in London , England .
Publications
- Catalog des plantes indignes des Pyrenies et du Bas Languedoc Paris ( 1826).
- Outline of a New System of Logic, with a Critical Examination of Dr Whately’s Elements of Logic ( 1827).
- Labiatarum generates et species ( 1836).
- Commentaries of Leguminosarum generibus Annals of the Vienna Museum ( 1835).
- Flora Hongkongensis( 1861 ).
- Flora Australiensisseven volumes ( 1863 – 1878 )
- Generates Plantarum ( 1862- 1883 ).
