John Bartram: Early American Botanist, Explorer and Plant Collector

Rhododendrum Bushes

Discovered and Cultivated by Bertram

Today is the birthday of John Bartram (March 23, 1699- September 22, 1777). Considered America's first botanist, he was born in Darby, Pennsylvania, now a suburb of Philadelphia. Due to family financial circumstances, he had little formal schooling. Yet, he managed to be be self-taught in botany and even hired a tutor to learn Latin and read the writings of Carl Linnaeus, the leading botanic authority of his day. In his twenties he purchased 107 acres near Philadelphis where he developed his botanical gardens; they are still tended and toured today.

His career was advanced via a London Wool Merchant and botanist by the name of Peter Collinson; the latter paid him to collect specimens of new plants to ship to him in England for distribution. This was a time when many wealthy British landowners were doing extensive landscaping and were in search of exotic hearty species of plants not native to England. North American species were thus particularly attractive.

Every fall, Bertram sent Collinson Bertram's Boxes which generally contained 100 or so varieties of seeds and dried plants specimens. Collinson acted as his agent for distribution to a list of clients that included the Duke of Argyll and John Busch a co-founder of the Loddiges Nursery in London that specialized in exotic flora. Perhaps his most noted client was James Petre, 8th Lord Petre of Thorndon, Essex; he was creator of the Great Stove, supposedly the largest hothouse in the world (thirty feet high and 60 feet long) and the foremost collector of North American trees and shrubs in Europe.

Despite the ongoing French-Indian war, Bartram made many excursions into the wilderness collecting specimens with the financial aid of European naturalists. In 1738, he traveled 1100 miles across the Blue Ridge Mountains and then explored the Catskill Mountains in 1755. In his Diary of a Journey Through the Carolinas, Georgia and the Florida (July 1765-April 1766), he wrote of many specimens he collected.

Most of Bartram's plant discoveries were name by botanists in Europe. He is best known for discovering and introducing a wide range of North American flowering trees and shrubs including Kalmia, Rhododendrum and Magnolia species.

Through the lobbying efforts of Benjamin Franklin and Collinson, he was awarded a pension of 50 pounds per year as King George III's Botanist for North America.

Located on the Schuylkil River in Philadelphia, Bartram's Garden is the site of his house and botanical gardens (circa 1728) and is open to the public. It is the oldest surviving botanic garden in North America.

Know Your Herbs: Tumeric

Medicinal Uses: Tumeric is a perennial plant in the ginger family that is native to tropical South Asia (especially India) and is a key ingredient in curries as well as other South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Its active ingredient is curcumin. It has been used in India for medicinal purposes for over 2500 years where it was probably first used as a dye.

Many studies are pointing to Tumeric being a natural wonder drug. Here's why!

There are many benefits to adding this herb to your diet. We will list just a few. First, it is useful in disinfecting cuts and burns because it is an antibacterial agent. When combined with cauliflower, it has been shown to both prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer. It reduces the incidence of childhood leukemia and is also a natural liver detoxifier.

In addition, it may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, prevent metastases in different cancers, is a strong anti-inflammatory agent ( it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), is a natural pain killer, may help in fat metabolism and weight management and has long been used by Chinese medicine to treat depression.

Uses in folk medicine: An Aryuvedic remedy uses tumeric to stop diarrhea within minutes. It has been used in South Asia as an antiseptic for cuts, burns and bruises. In Afghanistan and Northwest Pakistan, tumeric is applied to a piece of burnt cloth and placed over a wound to control inflammation and stimulate recovery.

Teas in Japan and Okinawa feature tumeric as the main ingredient.

Please remember to consult your physician before using the herb.

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Luther Burbank: Botanist, Horticulturist and Pioneer in Agricultural Science

Today is the birthday of Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849- April 11, 1926) who developed more than 800 new varieties of plants and 200 varieties of fruits, and many nuts, grains, grasses and vegetables. He is perhaps best known for developing the Russet Burbank potato which is the most predominant variety used in food processing. He is also the father of the Santa Rosa plum and the July Elberta peach

He grew up on a farm in Massachusetts was the 13th of 15 children and learned much from the plants in his mother's garden. After his dad died when he was 21, he was able to purchase a 17 acre parcel. Here he developed the russet potato, sold the rights for $15o and used the funds to travel to Santa Rosa, California.

On a 4 acre parcel, he soon established a greenhouse, nursery and experimental fields on which he practiced his plant breeding that earned him world-wide fame. He later expanded his research to an 18 acre parcel in nearby Sebastopol.

His objective was to increase the world's food supply through improving the quality of plants

His research on bybridization was aided by grants from the Carnegie Institution and even from Andrew Carnegie himself despite claims that he did not keep records of his research.

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