Robert Sweet (botanist)
Encyclopedia
Born at Cockington
Cockington
Cockington is a village in Torquay in the English county of Devon. It is a picturesque village, with old cottages within its boundaries. It is about a half a mile away from Torquay.- History :...
near Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1783, Sweet worked as a gardener from the age of sixteen, and became foreman or partner in a series of nurseries. He was associated with nurseries at Stockwell, Fulham and Chelsea. In 1812 he joined Colvills, the famous Chelsea nursery, and was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society. By 1818 he was publishing horticultural and botanical works.
He published a number of beautifully illustrated works on plants cultivatd in British gardens and hothouses. The fine plates were mainly drawn by Edwin Dalton Smith, a botanical artist, who was attached 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...
. His works include Hortus Suburbanus Londinensis (1818), Geraniaceae (five volumes) (1820–30), Cistineae, Sweet's Hortus Britannicus (1826–27), Flora Australasica (1827–28) and British Botany (with H. Weddell) (1831). He died at 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...
in January 1835.
He was charged with receiving a batch of plants allegedly stolen from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. It was suggested that this was an attempt to frame him by an official at Kew whom Sweet had criticised. He was acquitted after a well-publicised trial.
Robert Sweet received high praise from his contemporaries at his trial and was described as possibly the first practical botanist.
Publications
- The British Flower Garden : coloured figures & descriptions of the most ornamental & curious hardy herbaceous plants Robert Sweet, drawings by Edwin Dalton Smith. (W. Simpkin and R. Marshall, London 1823-1829)
- British Warblers
Sweet is the author of a number of plants, including:
- Abutilon auritum (LinkJohann Heinrich Friedrich LinkJohann Heinrich Friedrich Link was a German naturalist and botanist.Link was born at Hildesheim as a son of the minister August Heinrich Link , who taught him the love for nature through collection of 'natural objects'...
) Sweet - Abutilon grandifoliumAbutilon grandifoliumAbutilon grandifolium, or Hairy Indian Mallow, is a large shrub that is 2 m high with broad, 1-6 cm leaves. The fruits are schizocarps that are 1.4-1.5 cm in diameter and 1-1.1 cm tall....
(Willd.Carl Ludwig WilldenowCarl Ludwig Willdenow was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants...
) Sweet - Abutilon indicumAbutilon indicumAbutilon indicum Abutilon indicum Abutilon indicum (Indian Abutilon, Indian Mallow; is a small shrub in the Malvaceae family, native to tropic and subtropical regions and sometimes cultivated as an ornamental...
(Link) Sweet
Indian Lantern Flower - Agonis flexuosaAgonis flexuosaAgonis flexuosa is a species of tree that grows in the south west of Western Australia. It is easily the most common of the Agonis species, and is one of the most recognisable trees of Western Australia, being commonly grown in parks and on road verges in Perth.The species is commonly known as...
(Willd.Carl Ludwig WilldenowCarl Ludwig Willdenow was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants...
) Sweet
Peppermint - Argemone ochroleuca Sweet
Mexican Poppy - Babiana angustifolia Sweet
- Banksia dryandroidesBanksia dryandroidesBanksia dryandroides, the Dryandra-leaved Banksia, is a species of small shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in shrubland, coastal heath and woodland on the south coast of Western Australia between Two Peoples Bay and Cheyne Bay. The species is placed alone in series B. ser...
Sweet
Dryandra-leaved Banksia - Callistemon glaucusCallistemon glaucusCallistemon glaucus is a shrub in the family Myrtaceae. The species is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.It grows up to between 1 and 3 metres in height and has a slender, erect habit. Red flower spikes are produced between September and December in the species native range...
(Bonpl.Aimé BonplandAimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland was a French explorer and botanist.Bonpland's real name was Goujaud, and he was born in La Rochelle, a coastal city in France. After serving as a surgeon in the French army, and studying under J. N...
) Sweet - Coreopsis grandifloraCoreopsis grandifloraCoreopsis grandiflora is a perennial plant species of the tickseed genus, Coreopsis, in Asteraceae. The common name is large-flowered tickseed....
Sweet
American Tickseed - Cyanotis axillaris (L.Carolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
) Sweet - Dillwynia pungens (Sweet) Benth.George BenthamGeorge Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
- Hakea ferruginea Sweet
- Hovea chorizemifolia (Sweet) DC.A. P. de CandolleAugustin Pyramus de Candolle also spelled Augustin Pyrame de Candolle was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at an herbarium...
Holly-leaved Hovea - Ipomoea cairicaIpomoea cairicaIpomoea cairica morning glory has many common names, including Mile-a-minute Vine, Messina Creeper, Cairo Morning Glory, Coast Morning Glory and Railroad Creeper. This vining perennial has palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers...
(L.Carolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
) Sweet
Coast Morning Glory - Lablab purpureus (L.Carolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
) Sweet
Lablab Bean - Lachenalia mutabilis Sweet
- Moraea flaccida Sweet
One-leaf Cape Tulip - Orthrosanthus multiflorus Sweet
Morning Iris - PenaeaceaePenaeaceaePenaeaceae is a family of evergreen, leathery-leaved shrubs and small trees, native to South Africa. The family has 25 species in seven genera....
Sweet ex Guillemin - Senna barclayana (Sweet) Randell
- Sphenotoma gracile (R.Br.Robert Brown (botanist)Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
) Sweet
Swamp Paper-heath - Wahlenbergia strictaWahlenbergia strictaWahlenbergia stricta, or Australian Bluebell, Tall or Austral Bluebell, is an Australian wildflower from the Campanulaceae family. It is considered the most commonly encountered of the Wahlenbergias. It is found in all Australian states but not the Northern Territory. It is often seen growing by...
(R.Br.Robert Brown (botanist)Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
) Sweet
Austral Bluebell