William Dunlop Brackenridge
Encyclopedia
William Dunlop Brackenridge (1810–1893) was a Scottish nurseryman and botanist.
Brackenridge emigrated to Philadelphia in 1837, where he was employed by Robert Buist, nurseryman. He was appointed horticulturalist, then assistant botanist, for the United States Exploring Expedition
from 1838-1842. Originally, the well-known botanist Asa Gray
was to be the chief botanist, and William Rich, a Washington, DC socialite and son of an ambassador, was politically appointed as his assistant. However, Gray never went on the expedition due to taking an academic job, and Rich was appointed botanist, so they needed a new assistant. Rich was reportedly of little use on the trip, and Brackenridge did almost all the collecting and serious botany work.
Brackenridge was assigned to the U.S. Ship Vincennes. In 1839, he collected plants in the Sydney and Hunter River districts of New South Wales
, Australia
. From 1841-1842, the ships explored the Oregon
and California
coasts, with trips inland. After returning, he continued working with the collected plants and wrote the fern report for the expedition, included in the overall botanical report written by Asa Gray
. After 1855, he lived in Baltimore and worked as a nurseryman and landscape architect. Near Mount Shasta
, he discovered the California Pitcher Plant, Darlingtonia californica
, one of the noted successes of the expedition. He chose the genus name to honor his friend, Pennsylvania
botanist William Darlington
.
Brackenridge Passage in Puget Sound
is named for him.
Reports of the day indicate that Brackenridge was a hardy, strapping six-footer. He and his wife Isobel were Presbyterians. They had at least four children: Agnes (1846), Robert Buist (1847), William D. (1850), and Jane Henderson Brackenridge (1854).
Brackenridge emigrated to Philadelphia in 1837, where he was employed by Robert Buist, nurseryman. He was appointed horticulturalist, then assistant botanist, for the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
from 1838-1842. Originally, the well-known botanist Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
was to be the chief botanist, and William Rich, a Washington, DC socialite and son of an ambassador, was politically appointed as his assistant. However, Gray never went on the expedition due to taking an academic job, and Rich was appointed botanist, so they needed a new assistant. Rich was reportedly of little use on the trip, and Brackenridge did almost all the collecting and serious botany work.
Brackenridge was assigned to the U.S. Ship Vincennes. In 1839, he collected plants in the Sydney and Hunter River districts of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. From 1841-1842, the ships explored the Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coasts, with trips inland. After returning, he continued working with the collected plants and wrote the fern report for the expedition, included in the overall botanical report written by Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
. After 1855, he lived in Baltimore and worked as a nurseryman and landscape architect. Near Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
, he discovered the California Pitcher Plant, Darlingtonia californica
Darlingtonia californica
Darlingtonia californica , also called the California Pitcher plant, Cobra Lily, or Cobra Plant, is a carnivorous plant, the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. It is native to Northern California and Oregon, growing in bogs and seeps with cold running water...
, one of the noted successes of the expedition. He chose the genus name to honor his friend, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
botanist William Darlington
William Darlington
William Darlington was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.William Darlington was born in Birmingham, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He attended Friends School at Birmingham and spent his youth on a farm...
.
Brackenridge Passage in Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
is named for him.
Reports of the day indicate that Brackenridge was a hardy, strapping six-footer. He and his wife Isobel were Presbyterians. They had at least four children: Agnes (1846), Robert Buist (1847), William D. (1850), and Jane Henderson Brackenridge (1854).
Plants named for W. D. Brackenridge
- The plant genus BrackenridgeaBrackenridgeaBrackenridgea is a genus of plant in family Ochnaceae.Species include:* Brackenridgea hookeri, A.Gray* Brackenridgea palustris, Bartell...
A. GrayAsa Gray-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
, in the OchnaceaeOchnaceaeThe family Ochnaceae, or wild plane family, comprises mainly trees or shrubs, and more rarely herbaceous plants. Species of the Ochnaceae are found from subtropical to tropical regions. They are best represented in South America...
(FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) - The tree fern Cyathea brackenridgei Mett. (CyatheaceaeCyatheaceaeThe Cyatheaceae is the scaly tree fern family and includes the world's tallest tree ferns, which reach heights up to 20 m. They are also very ancient plants, appearing in the fossil record in the late Jurassic, though the modern genera likely appeared in the Tertiary. Cyatheaceae is the largest...
)
Plants named by W. D. Brackenridge
(list not inclusive)- Diocidopteris Brackenr. (genus)
- Diellia Brackenr. (genus; now included in AspleniumAspleniumAsplenium is a genus of about 700 species of ferns, often treated as the only genus in the family Aspleniaceae, though other authors consider Hymenasplenium separate, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, a different chromosome count, and structural differences in the rhizomes...
L.) - Darlingtonia californicaDarlingtonia californicaDarlingtonia californica , also called the California Pitcher plant, Cobra Lily, or Cobra Plant, is a carnivorous plant, the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. It is native to Northern California and Oregon, growing in bogs and seeps with cold running water...
Brackenr. - Onychium densum Brackenr.: now Aspidotis densaAspidotis densaAspidotis densa is a species of fern known by the common name Indian's dream. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Wyoming, as well as parts of eastern North America including Quebec....
(Brackenr.) LellingerDavid B. LellingerDavid Bruce Lellinger is an American botanist, specializing in ferns, working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He began work as a student assistant in 1960 and 1961. He was hired as full-time staff in 1963. He has for some years been the curator of pteridology at the... - Antrophyum subfalcatum Brackenr.
- Cyrtogonium palustre Brackenr.: now Bolbitis palustris (Brackenr.) Hennipman
- Sitolobium samoense Brackenr.: now Dennstaedtia samoensis ( Brackenr.) T.Moore
- Gymnogramme pilosa Brackenr.: now Coniogramme pilosa (Brackenr.) Hieron.
- Blechnum coriaceum (Brackenr.) Brownlie
- Blechnum vittatum Brackenr.
- Polypodium sarmentosum Brackenr.: now Adenophorus sarmentosus ( Brackenr. ) K.Wilson
- Goniopteris costata Brackenr.: now Pneumatopteris costata (Brackenr.) Holtt.
- Lastrea attenuata Brackenr.: now Plesioneuron attenuatum (Brackenr.) Holtt.
- Goniopteris glandulifera Brackenr.: now Pneumatopteris glandulifera (Brackenr.) Holtt.
- Elaphoglossum inlermedium Brackenr.
- Pteris sinuata Brackenr.
- Oleandra hirta Brackenr.
Works by W. D. Brackenridge
- Brackenridge, William Dunlop. United States Exploring Edition Report, Volume XVI - Botany - Filices. 1854.
- Brackenridge, William Dunlop. United States Exploring Edition Report, Volume XVI - Botany - Filices: Atlas. 1856.