Plant species associated with
-- Frank kingdon-Ward --

This is a very difficult subject for me. Despite the fact that my great-grandfather was professor of botany at Cambridge university, my grandfather was a graduate in botany from Cambridge, and my father although from a different line was a keen and competent gardener. I myself am a disaster with plants.
FKW went on twenty-five expeditions over fifty years. He brought back vast numbers of plants, flowers, seeds, bulbs, photographs and drawings. Many of the plant species were new to science. Some were plants which had been discovered before by westerners but samples or seeds had not been brought back before. Some turned out to be duplicates which he at first thought might be new. Quite a few were reclassified later into different genera.
His most famous discovery was probably Meconopsis betonicifolia, the Tibetan blue poppy. However this was not THE blue poppy of his book "The land of the blue poppy." This was Meconopsis speciosa which he refers to as the Cambridge blue poppy.

If you are reading this as a professional botanist, searching for some small piece of information which has eluded you then I confess you can probably help me more than I can help you. Please feel free to e-mail me to tell me I've got a fact wrong, I would welcome it. If you are new to botanical matters you may appreciate getting some of the basic information I have been learning along the way. Taxonomy and plant names.

My source for this list is mainly Frank's book The Romance of Gardening. In this book he lists some of the principal plants that he has introduced. Having listed these plants I intend to refer to other books to add more information.
I have provided links to sites which seem to carry more info on each plant where I can find them.


Genus species. varietyName AuthYear.Area Info source.Other Info.
Acer cambellii link Assam R.o.G.
Acer caudatum var.multiserratum link Assam R.o.G.
Acer sikkimense Burma R.o.G.
Acer wardiiW.W.Sm. Hilliers
Androsace wardii image Lyte
Berberis hypokerina Burma R.o.G.
Clematis vitifolia Burma R.o.G.
Gaultheria codonantha Assam R.o.G. Award of Merit 1933
Gentiana gilvostriata Burma R.o.G.
Geranium donianum Burma R.o.G.
Leycesteria crocothyrsos Assam R.o.G.
Lysimachia ramosa Assam R.o.G.
Nomocharis souliei Assam R.o.G.
Piptanthus labernifolius, var. Sikkimensis Assam R.o.G.
Primula normaniana Assam R.o.G.
Primula polonensis Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron crebreflorum Assam R.o.G. Award of Merit 1934
Rhododendron deleiense Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron elliottii Assam R.o.G. Award of Merit 1934
Rhododendron exesperatum Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron Johnstoneanum Assam R.o.G. Award of Merit 1934
Rhododendron lanigerum Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron macabeanum Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron mishmiense Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron patulum Assam R.o.G.
Rhododendron tanastylum Assam R.o.G.

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