Francis Masson
Aberdeen, Scotland, 1741 - 1805
About MeBotanist
Born in Aberdeen, Francis Masson travelled to London where he secured a gardening position at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In 1771 he was selected to travel to Africa’s southern cape to collect plants – the first person ever to be sent on such a mission by
Kew Gardens.
Based in Cape Town, Francis made three long and perilous journeys into the African interior in search of plants. There he found a wealth of exquisite botany. He collected seeds, bulbs, dried specimens and living plants which he dispatched back to Kew. On his return to Britain, Francis was sent on further expeditions to the Caribbean, Canada and back to Africa.
Overall, he added more than 400 specimens to Kew’s collections and introduced many now-familiar plants to the gardens of Britain, including the Bird of Paradise Flower and the Red Hot Poker. In 1797 he wrote and beautifully illustrated a book featuring the plants he discovered in Africa.
Wikipedia Biography
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