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John Davidson (botanist)
Encyclopedia
John Davidson was a notable Scottish
-Canadian
botanist
. Born in Aberdeen, he worked at the University of Aberdeen
(1893 – 1911) before being appointed the first Provincial Botanist of British Columbia
. Davidson established an herbarium on West Pender Street, Vancouver
, and a botanical garden near New Westminster, at Coquitlam (at the Colony Farm and Essondale farming and mental hospital complex, which later became Riverview Hospital
in the 1950s). This collection was moved to the University of British Columbia
(UBC) in 1916 where it became the UBC Botanical Garden. This move is often described as having involved the transfer of 25,000 plants, though this figure is an exaggeration. Even if Davidson and his staff transferred two thousand plants, the feat would still have been extraordinary. As a UBC faculty member in Botany from 1916 to 1948 Davidson was instrumental in developing botany teaching at the University.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
botanist
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...
. Born in Aberdeen, he worked at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
(1893 – 1911) before being appointed the first Provincial Botanist of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Davidson established an herbarium on West Pender Street, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, and a botanical garden near New Westminster, at Coquitlam (at the Colony Farm and Essondale farming and mental hospital complex, which later became Riverview Hospital
Riverview Hospital (Coquitlam)
Riverview Hospital is a mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia, operating under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services. Originally called The Hospital for the Mind, and then Essondale , Riverview opened in 1913 and had 4,630 patients at its peak...
in the 1950s). This collection was moved to the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
(UBC) in 1916 where it became the UBC Botanical Garden. This move is often described as having involved the transfer of 25,000 plants, though this figure is an exaggeration. Even if Davidson and his staff transferred two thousand plants, the feat would still have been extraordinary. As a UBC faculty member in Botany from 1916 to 1948 Davidson was instrumental in developing botany teaching at the University.
Other activities
He also founded the Vancouver Natural History Society (which has been renamed Nature Vancouver)Works
Published works (partial list)- 1922: "The Cascara Tree in British Columbia"
- 1923: "Commercial Drug Plant Cultivation in British Columbia"
- 1933: "Poisonous Plants of British Columbia"
- 1942: "The Cascara Tree in British Columbia"
- 1943: "Edible Plants of British Columbia"
- 1949: "The Cascara Tree in Relation to Drug Farming in British Columbia"
External links
- University of British Columbia Library Archive - a list of archival material.
- http://botanyjohn.blogspot.com/ A blog about "Botany John", with links to UBC's John Davidson website.
- http://www.botanyjohn.org/ UBC's Virtual Museum of Canada exhibition, Botany John: Legacy of a Canadian Botanist.