(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

Born: 1812 (not 1813), Kelloe, Edron, Berwick, Scotland. Died: 1880, Brompton, Scotland.

career:

Horticulturist, at first in the employ of the Botanic Garden at Edinburgh, in 1842 transferred to the garden of the Roy. Horticultural Society at Chiswick; for the latter Society travelling to China (1843-46) to collect plants.¹ In 1846-48 Curator of the Botanic Garden at Chelsea; from 1848-51 he was sent to China for the 2nd time, now by the E.I.C., with the special object of collecting seeds and plants of tea.² In later years he once more visited China (1853-56)³ and Japan (1858 or 1860-62).⁴

Excellent plant introducer. Author of many papers.⁵ At his death his entire collection of notes and diaries was destroyed by his family.

Rosa fortuneana Lindl. was named after him.

Collecting localities:

1843-46. On the outward voyage to China, touching at W. Java: Anjer (June 15-16, 1843);⁶ from China sailing (beginning of Jan. 1845) for the Philippines,⁷ staving a short time at Manila (Luzon); visiting Laguna, St. Pablo, Dolores, St. Pablo again, in total spending 3 weeks in the interior, collecting Phalaenopsis etc.; leaving again on March 14, returning to China once more; back in London on May 5, 1846.

collections:

Living and dried material distributed by the Roy. Hort. Soc.; Herb. Kew [K] (pres. 1843-50; and in 1872 with Herb. Bentham the nos 1-182 and A 1-A 327 (1846)); Herb. Brit. Mus. [BM]: 549 nos from China; Herb. Cambridge [CGE]; Herb. Decand. (Geneva [G]): 300 nos; Herb. Deless. (Geneva [G]): 53 nos (pres. 1846); Herb. Berl. [B]: from China and Japan, partly numbered;⁸ Herb. v. Heurck (= Antwerp [AWH]): Japanese plants; Herb. Bot. Gard. St Petersb. (= Leningrad [LE]): ‘Plantae chinensis’ (200); in Herb. Vienna [W] and Herb. St Louis Miss. Bot. Gard. [MO]. Fortune’s collection of the Roy. Hort. Soc. (coll. 1845, 181 nos, mainly from China) was bought by Planchon in 1856;⁹ now in Herb. Paris [P]. Sets of his China plants were offered for sale. The plants cited by Merrill in Enum. Philip. Fl. Pl. are without number. In Java he is cited to have collected a fine variety of Dendrobium secundum.¹⁰

His letters are at the Roy. Hort. Society.

literature:

(1) R. Fortune: ‘Three years’ wanderings in the northern provinces of China, including a visit to the Tea, Silk and Cotton Countries. With an account of the agriculture and horticulture of the Chinese, new plants, etc.’ (London 1847); transl. into German: ‘Wanderungen in China in den Jahren 1843 his 1845’ (Leipzig 1854).

(2) R. Fortune: ‘A journey to the Tea Countries of China; including Sung-Le and the Bohea Hills’ (London 1852).

cf. also in Athenaeum April 1854.

(3) R. Fortune: ‘A residence among the Chinese’ (London 1857).

(4) R. Fortune: ‘A narrative of a journey to the capitals of Japan and China’ (London 1863).

(5) cf. in Merrill & Walker, Bibliogr. of East. Asiat. Bot., 1938.

(6) cf. Letters in Revue Britannique Nov. 1843, p. 218-222.

(7) cf. ‘Three years’ wanderings’ l.c. sub 1, Chapt. XVIII, p. 332-345.

(8) cf. E. Bretschneider: ‘On some old collections of Chinese plants’ (Journ. Bot. 32, 1894, p. 295-296).

(9) cf. Journ. Bot. 32, 1894, p. 298-299.

(10) cf. Gard. Chron. 1880¹, p. 488; and Rev. Hort. Belge 6, 1880, p. 272 (footnote).

biographical data:

Journ. Bot. 18, 1880, p. 160; Gard. Chron. 1880’, p. 487-489; Rev. Hort. Belge 6, 1880, p. 272-274; Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger in Journ. Bot. 26, 1888, p. 374 and in 2nd ed. by Rendle, 1931; Rev. Hort. Belge 19, 1893, p. 198-199; Bretschneider, Hist. Bot. Discov. China, 1898, p. 403-518; New Fl. & Silva 8, 1936, p. 172-179 (including data on his expeditions and a list of 48 plants introduced by him); Bcker, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936; Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. 156, 1943, p. 8-16; in E.H.M. Cox, Planthunting in China, 1945, p. 76-92, portr. pl. 5; J. R. Hort. Soc. 80, 1955, p. 265-269, 276-280.

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