Park, Mungo |
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(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors) (Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II) |
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Born: 1771, Foulshields, near Selkirk, Scotland. Died: 1805 or 1806, Niger, W. Africa. |
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Educated at Edinburgh University (Med. Dr), protégé of Banks. In 1793 he went to India and Sumatra (1793-94) as surgeon o/b the ‘Worcester’, sailing from Portsmouth Apr. 5, 1793, returning at Moorings May 2, 1794.2 He made botanical and zoological observations. He stayed 9 weeks on the coast of Sumatra.1 Afterwards celebrated as explorer of the basin of the Niger in Africa. He is commemorated in the genus Parkia R.Br. |
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Herb. Brit. Mus. [BM]: small collection of African plants. Possibly Sumatra plants were collected; 20 drawings of fish from the coast of Sumatra in the Libr. Brit. Mus. |
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(1) cf. Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 3, 1797, p. 33. (2) Cf. Ch. Hardy: ‘Register of ships employed in the Service of the Hon. United E.I.C. etc.’ (London 1799) p. 61. |
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Biogr. Index Britten & Boulger in Journ. Bot. 28, 1890, p. 116, and in 2nd ed. by Rendle, 1931; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936; in ‘Les explorateurs célèbres’ (Genève/ Paris 1947), p. 108-109 + portr. |