Charles Maries
Encyclopedia
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and plant collector
Plant collecting
Plant collecting involves procuring live or dried plant specimens, for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby.-Collection of live specimens:...
who was sent by James Veitch & Sons of Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
to search for new hardy plants in Japan, China and Taiwan between 1877 and 1879; there he discovered over 500 new species, which Veitch introduced to England. Amongst his finds, several bear his name, including Abies mariesii, Davallia mariesii, Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea macrophylla is a species of Hydrangea native to Japan. Common names include Bigleaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Lacecap Hydrangea, Mophead Hydrangea, Penny Mac and Hortensia...
"Mariesii", Platycodon grandiflorus "Mariesii" and Viburnum plicatum
Viburnum plicatum
Viburnum plicatum is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern Asia, in China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.It is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m tall. The leaves are opposite, 5–10 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, simple ovate to oval, with a serrated margin...
"Mariesii".
Early life
Maries was born in Hampton LucyHampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, northeast of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.-Prominent residents:*Charles Maries , the Victorian botanist was born and educated at Hampton Lucy....
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, the youngest of five sons born to George and Mary Maries. His father was the boot- and shoe-maker for the village, as was his grandfather, Thomas Maries. He was educated at the Hampton Lucy Grammar School, where he learnt about plants from the Reverend George Henslow, who was headmaster between 1861 and 1865. Reverend Henslow went on to become the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
's Professor of Botany.
Of his brothers, Frederick (the eldest brother) and George followed their father and became cordwainer
Cordwainer
A cordwainer is a shoemaker/cobbler who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer was used as early as 1100 in England...
s and shoe-makers, while Henry became a music teacher at Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
. The fourth brother, Richard, also had a strong interest in plants and he set up as a florist and nurseryman in Lytham, Lancashire. When their father died in 1869, Charles moved to Lytham to work at Richard's nursery.
James Veitch & Sons
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
in 1876, then one of the largest nurseries in Britain. According to "Hortus Veitchii", "he proved to be an industrious and steady workman" and he was soon promoted to foreman. His knowledge of Japanese and Chinese plants led to him being invited by Harry Veitch
Harry Veitch
Sir Harry James Veitch was an eminent English horticulturist in the nineteenth century, who was the head of the family nursery business, James Veitch & Sons, based in Chelsea, London...
to "undertake an exploring expedition to the Far East, the object of which was to obtain seeds of the coniferous trees of Japan, and to explore the great Yangtsze valley of China".
He left for Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
on 1 February 1877, calling at Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
(where he visited the mountains previously explored by Robert Fortune
Robert Fortune
Robert Fortune was a Scottish botanist and traveller best known for introducing tea plants from China to India.-Travels and botanical introductions to Europe:Fortune was born in Kelloe, Berwickshire...
) en route and then went on to Japan, arriving at Nagasaki on 20 April. After visiting local gardens, he left Nagasaki, for Shimonoseki
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits....
, and then, by way of the Inland Sea, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, reached Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, where he visited the nurseries of which Fortune had written in such glowing terms, although Maries was disappointed with what he saw.
From Yokohama and Tokyo, Maries proceeded overland to Nikkō
Nikko, Tochigi
is a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 140 km north of Tokyo and 35 km west of Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, it is a popular destination for Japanese and international tourists...
and thence to Aomori
Aomori, Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
, the northernmost port of the main island. According to the account in "Hortus Veitchii", whilst waiting at Aomori for a steamer to convey him to Hakodate
Hakodate, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan...
on the island of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
:
Maries noticed a conifer new to him growing in a garden, and learnt that it could be found in quantity on a neighbouring mountain. He went in search, and had reached a height of 3,500 ft., when it became obvious that the bamboo scrub formed an impassable barrier on that side of the mountain, and he reluctantly had to turn back, although the object of his search could plainly be seen. The following day he again made the ascent, but this time from the north side, and he succeeded in procuring cones of a new species, since named by Dr. MastersMaxwell T. MastersMaxwell Tylden Masters was an English botanist and taxonomist. He was educated at King's College London and the University of St Andrews...
, Abies mariesii.
Nearby, Maries also re-discovered Abies sachalinensis
Abies sachalinensis
Abies sachalinensis is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in Sakhalin island and southern Kurils , and also in northern Hokkaido ....
, which had previously been identified by Carl Friedrich Schmidt, a German botanical traveller, on the Russian island of Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
in 1866, but had not been introduced to Europe.
Maries crossed to Hakodate
Hakodate, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan...
on 20 June 1877 where he collected seeds of the beautiful Azalea rollisoni (Rhododendron indicum balsaminseflorum) which he dispatched to the Veitch Nurseries
Veitch Nurseries
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 two separate businesses - based at Chelsea and...
at Chelsea. He also sent back Styrax obassia
Styrax obassia
Styrax obassia is a species of flowering plant in the Styracaceae family. It is native to Hokkaido island of Japan and to China.-References:...
, which was common on the volcanic slopes of the north island. Maries then continued to Sapporo; from the thickly wooded and mountainous districts in the neighbourhood, Maries sent back to England seeds of Abies yessoensis and Daphniphyllum glaucescens, as well as many maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s and climbers, including Schizophragma hydrangeoides and Actinidia kolomikta
Actinidia kolomikta
Actinidia kolomikta is a species of deciduous dioecious woody vine in the genus Actinidia native to temperate mixed forests of the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan and China . It is a very long-lived woody scrambler, which ultimately grows to 8-10 m . A...
.
From Sapporo he travelled by way of Chitose
Chitose, Hokkaido
-Economy:China Airlines operates its Sapporo office on the third floor of the airport building.The airline Hokkaido Air System was at one time headquartered at the New Chitose Airport in Chitose...
and Yūbetsu
Yubetsu, Hokkaido
is a town located in Monbetsu District, Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 4,950 and a population density of 14.52 persons per km². The total area is 344.35 km²....
, visiting Urakawa
Urakawa, Hokkaido
is a town located in Urakawa District, Hidaka, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 14,814 and a density of 21.3 persons per km². The total area is 694.24 km².-External links:* in Japanese...
and Samani
Samani, Hokkaido
, is a town located in Samani District, Hidaka, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 5,466 and a density of 15.84 persons per km2...
. Near Samani, he discovered the pretty little Dracocephalum ruyschiana and obtained seed to send to Chelsea. Making Horoizumi
Horoizumi District, Hokkaido
is a district located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2004, the district has an estimated population of 5,872 and a density of 20.68 persons per km². The total area is 283.93 km².-Towns and villages:*Erimo...
, on Cape Erimo
Cape Erimo
is a cape in Hokkaidō, located at . It is the de facto southern tip of Hidaka Mountains.Hot and cold fronts meet nearby of the cape thus creating a dense mist which covers the cape for more than 100 days a year. Wind blows here with the speed of 10 m/s for almost 300 days a year...
, his head-quarters, Maries stayed in Hokkaidō from June to October 1877, exploring the mountains and making extensive entomological and botanical collections. Whilst exploring the forests of Hokkaido and the Hidaka Mountains
Hidaka Mountains
Hidaka Mountains is a mountain range in southeastern Hokkaidō, Japan. It runs 150 km from Mount Sahoro or Karikachi Pass in central Hokkaidō south, running into the sea at Cape Erimo. It consists of folded mountains that range from 1500 to 2000 metres in height. Mount Poroshiri is the highest...
, he discovered Platycodon grandiflorus and Acer nikoense.
Prior to his departure, he arranged for his collection to be taken by boat to Hakodate, to be sent on to England. The boat was laden with seaweed, which caused the ship to run aground; the box containing the seeds was transferred to another boat, which capsized and sank and the seed collection was lost. Fortunately, Maries had sufficient time to retrace his tracks and he managed to replace most of the missing seeds, which were successfully dispatched to London.
He left Hokkaidō on board the H.M.S. Modeste, arriving at Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, on the western coast of the main island, in December 1877, and travelled overland to Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
. On Christmas Day 1877, Maries left Yokohama for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, arriving on 2 January 1878, and sailed a few days later for the island of Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
(now Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
). He found penetrating the interior of the island difficult, and was only able to find a small amount of material, including seed of a new species of Lilium
Lilium
Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though the range extends into the northern subtropics...
.
Maries then returned to Shanghai, on mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, from where, in the spring of 1878, he visited Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Jiangsu province in the eastern People's Republic of China . Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Changzhou to the east, and Yangzhou across the river to the north.Once...
, Jiujiang
Jiujiang
Jiujiang , formerly transliterated Kiukiang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city in Jiangxi province, the largest one being Nanchang...
and nearby Mount Lushan, where he discovered a white form of Daphne genkwa
Daphne genkwa
Daphne genkwa Siebold & Zucc. is an evergreen shrub and one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name yuán huā .The plant was discovered by the prolific plant collector Charles Maries.-External links:*...
as well as Hamamelis mollis
Hamamelis mollis
Hamamelis mollis is a species of witch-hazel native to central and eastern China, in Anhui, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang.It is a deciduous large shrub or small tree growing to 8 m tall...
, Pseudolarix amabilis, Rhododendron fortunei and Loropetalum chinense
Loropetalum chinense
Loropetalum chinense is commonly known as the Chinese fringe flower. Two forms of L. chinense exist; a white- flowering green-leafed variety and a pink-flowering variety with leaves varying from bronze-red when new to olive-green or burgundy when mature, depending on selection and growing...
. In the Lushan Mountains, Maries visited the Temple of Teen Cha where he saw magnificent trees of Larix kaempferi, Cryptomeria japonica and Liriodendron chinense
Liriodendron chinense
Liriodendron chinense, the Chinese tulip tree, is Asia's native species in the Liriodendron genus. This native of central and southern China grows in the provinces of Anhui, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Yunnan, and also locally in northern...
, as well as Lilium lancifolium
Lilium lancifolium
Lilium lancifolium is a species of lily native to northern and eastern Asia, including Japan. It is one of several species of lily to which the common name Tiger lily is applied, and is the species most widely known by this name....
formosanum. On this trip Maries suffered severely from sunstroke and returned to the coast. Whilst in China, Maries re-discovered Acer davidii
Acer davidii
Acer davidii , is a species of maple in the snakebark maple group. It is native to China, from Jiangsu south to Fujian and Guangdong, and west to southeastern Gansu and Yunnan....
, which had been originally discovered by Père Armand David
Armand David
Father Armand David was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist.-General Biography:...
when there as a missionary.
After spending the summer of 1878 back in Japan, where he collected seeds of conifers, he returned to China in December, basing himself at Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
on the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. In the early spring of 1879, he set off for Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...
, 800 miles higher up the river. In the gorges of Ichang, Maries found Primula obconica, and sent seed to Chelsea. Because of his unwillingness to understand the Chinese and his unstable temperament, they made life so miserable for him it was necessary for him to leave. He incurred their enmity to such a degree that they destroyed virtually everything that he had collected. According to Hortus Veitchii, "he was not sufficiently gentle, and was often threatened and occasionally robbed of his baggage".
By the summer of 1879, he was back in Japan – on this trip seeds of many Japanese oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s were gathered and the beautiful dwarf bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
s, including the Square Bamboo, which he successfully introduced to England.
Maries returned to England in February 1880, when his herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
was sent to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
and his collection of insects was accepted by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
India
Maries had left England before 1881 (his name does not appear in the 1881 censusCensus in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
) to take up employment in India and in 1882, he was recommended by Sir Joseph Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
to the post of Superintendent of the gardens of the Maharajah of Darbhanga
Raj Darbhanga
Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Royal Family of Darbhanga, were a family of Zamindars and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila and Darbhanga district, Bihar, India. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga...
, where he laid out the very extensive grounds which surround the palaces
Anand Bagh Palace
Anand Bagh Palace is situated in town of Darbhanga in State of Bihar, India. Anand Bagh Palace was constructed during the reign of Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh in the 1880s...
.
He subsequently entered the service of the Maharajah Scindia of Gwalior
Madho Rao Scindia
Madho Rao Scindia , was the 5th Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior. He acceded to the throne in 1886 and ruled to his death in 1925. He was noted by the British Government as a progressive ruler of a princely state. He was twice married, but had only issue by his second marriage in 1913, one son and one...
, and again laid out the palace gardens. He remained superintendent of both the palace gardens and the Gwalior State Gardens until his death on 11 October 1902.
While working in India, Maries became an expert on mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
es, studying the texture, flavour, colour, history and location of mangoes that grew both wild and in cultivation. He wrote and illustrated a manuscript entitled Cultivated Mangoes of India but it was never published and is now in the archive at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
.
Honours
Amongst the many honours he obtained in his lifetime, he was elected Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1877, and in 1897 was one of the first sixty recipients of the Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
's Victoria Medal of Honour
Victoria Medal of Honour
The Victoria Medal of Honour is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society...
. Other inaugural recipients were his childhood tutor, the Reverend George Henslow.
Hampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy
Hampton Lucy is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, northeast of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.-Prominent residents:*Charles Maries , the Victorian botanist was born and educated at Hampton Lucy....
, where Maries was born, has created the "Charles Maries Trail" featuring samples of many of the plants he discovered and introduced to England. The trail was opened on 30 July 2005 by Dr David Gray OBE, Director of Horticulture, Education & Science for the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
.
Family and personal life
On 19 November 1881, he married Martha Maria Kerr, whose sister, Mary Haworth Kerr, was his brother Richard's wife. Martha had been born in Lytham in 1850 and travelled out to India to join him. They were married at St John's Church, Calcutta and went on to have three children; Francis, Mildred and Jasper, all of whom were born in India. Charles died on 11 October 1902 from a kidney stoneKidney stone
A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine...
– Martha survived him and lived until March 1936, dying in Edmonton, London
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
aged 85.
According to Hortus Veitchii, "Maries had enthusiasm, but lacked "staying" power: he was musical, much to the delight of the Japanese peasants, and doubtless this must often have helped the work: he was a skilled shot, as the bucks on the domains of the Maharajah Scindia learnt to their cost when Maries was living in the country of the Mahrattas."
Plant introductions
Maries is credited with discovering over 500 new species which he introduced to England. Amongst these were:- Abies mariesii
- Abies sachalinensisAbies sachalinensisAbies sachalinensis is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in Sakhalin island and southern Kurils , and also in northern Hokkaido ....
- Abies veitchii
- Abies yessoensis
- Acer davidiiAcer davidiiAcer davidii , is a species of maple in the snakebark maple group. It is native to China, from Jiangsu south to Fujian and Guangdong, and west to southeastern Gansu and Yunnan....
- Acer maximowiczianumAcer maximowiczianumAcer maximowiczianum , is a species of maple widely distributed in China and Japan ....
- Acer polymorphum
- Actinidia kolomiktaActinidia kolomiktaActinidia kolomikta is a species of deciduous dioecious woody vine in the genus Actinidia native to temperate mixed forests of the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan and China . It is a very long-lived woody scrambler, which ultimately grows to 8-10 m . A...
- Adiantum mariesii
- Chamaecyparis obtusaChamaecyparis obtusaChamaecyparis obtusa is a species of cypress native to central Japan.It is a slow-growing tree which grows to 35 m tall with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. The bark is dark red-brown...
"Mariesii" - Chimonobambusa quadrangularis (Square Bamboo)
- Conandron ramondioides
- Cryptomeria japonica
- Daphne genkwaDaphne genkwaDaphne genkwa Siebold & Zucc. is an evergreen shrub and one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name yuán huā .The plant was discovered by the prolific plant collector Charles Maries.-External links:*...
- Daphniphyllum glaucescens
- Davallia mariesii
- Dimerium abietis "Mariesii"
- Dracocephalum ruyschiana
- Elaeagnus macrophylla
- Enkianthus campanulatus
- ExochordaExochordaExochorda is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to China and central Asia . They are used as ornamental plants with the common name pearl bush...
grandiflora - Fraxinus mariesii
- Hamamelis mollisHamamelis mollisHamamelis mollis is a species of witch-hazel native to central and eastern China, in Anhui, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang.It is a deciduous large shrub or small tree growing to 8 m tall...
- Hydrangea macrophyllaHydrangea macrophyllaHydrangea macrophylla is a species of Hydrangea native to Japan. Common names include Bigleaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Lacecap Hydrangea, Mophead Hydrangea, Penny Mac and Hortensia...
"Mariesii" - Hydrangea rosea (several new and distinct forms)
- Ilex crenata "Mariesii"
- Iris kaempferi (many varieties)
- Larix kaempferi
- Lilium auratumLilium auratumLilium auratum is one of the true lilies. It is native to Japan and is sometimes called the golden rayed lily of Japan or the goldband lily.-Description:...
gloriosoides - Lilium auratumLilium auratumLilium auratum is one of the true lilies. It is native to Japan and is sometimes called the golden rayed lily of Japan or the goldband lily.-Description:...
platyphyllum - Lilium lancifoliumLilium lancifoliumLilium lancifolium is a species of lily native to northern and eastern Asia, including Japan. It is one of several species of lily to which the common name Tiger lily is applied, and is the species most widely known by this name....
formosanum - Lilium maculatumLilium maculatumLilium maculatum is a plant native to the central and northern regions of Japan.It is a stem rooting lily, growing 20 to 60 centimeters high. It bears a number of orange flowers with red-brown spots....
thunbergianum - Liriodendron chinenseLiriodendron chinenseLiriodendron chinense, the Chinese tulip tree, is Asia's native species in the Liriodendron genus. This native of central and southern China grows in the provinces of Anhui, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Yunnan, and also locally in northern...
- Loropetalum chinenseLoropetalum chinenseLoropetalum chinense is commonly known as the Chinese fringe flower. Two forms of L. chinense exist; a white- flowering green-leafed variety and a pink-flowering variety with leaves varying from bronze-red when new to olive-green or burgundy when mature, depending on selection and growing...
- Magnolia sieboldii
- Magnolia stellata
- Osmunda japonica corymbifera
- Pinus chinensis
- Platycodon grandiflorus "Mariesii"
- Primula obconica
- Primula sinensisPrimula sinensisPrimula sinensis, the Chinese primrose or 藏报春 in Chinese, is a plant species in the genus Primula.Primulin is an anthocyanin found in P. sinensis....
- Pseudolarix amabilis
- Rhododendron fortunei
- Rhododendron indicum balsaminseflorum
- Rhododendron mariesii
- Schizophragma hydrangeoides
- Spiraea palmata alba
- Styrax obassiaStyrax obassiaStyrax obassia is a species of flowering plant in the Styracaceae family. It is native to Hokkaido island of Japan and to China.-References:...
- Viburnum plicatumViburnum plicatumViburnum plicatum is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern Asia, in China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.It is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m tall. The leaves are opposite, 5–10 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, simple ovate to oval, with a serrated margin...
"Mariesii"
External links
- The Life and Times of Charles Maries
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20030215/ai_n12678415Article in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 15 February 2003] - Mango pictures by Maries