Biographical entry Bentham, George (1800 - 1884)

Summary

George Bentham was the author of the 7 volume "Flora Australiensis" (1863-78). The work on this mammoth project was conducted at the Herbarium at Kew, England, where he had lodged his large private collection in 1854.

Details

Born Stoke, Hampshire, England, 22 September 1800. Died 10 September 1884. CMG 1878. Educated Faculté de Theologie, Mantauban. Managed his father's estate near Montpeller for some years; went to London and met several important botanists 1825; later moved to England, where he assisted his uncle, Jeremy Bentham, edited his father's papers on naval administration and then entered Lincoln's Inn; called to the Bar 1831, but never practised; produced "Labiatarum General et Species" 1832-36; lived in Pontrilas in Herefordshire 1835-54; donated his herbarium and library to Kew 1854 and moved to London to work on them; wrote "Flora Australiensis" 1863-78. Fellow, Royal Society 1862; Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales 1879. President, Linnean Society 1861-74.

Archival resources

National Herbarium, Melbourne

• George Bentham - Records, 1858 - 1877, MSS M4; National Herbarium, Melbourne. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

• Burbidge, N. T., 'Bentham, George (1800-1884), botanist', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 3, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1969, pp. 146-147. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030138b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Blake, S. T., 'Some Pioneers in Plant Exploration Classification', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of Queensland, vol. lxvi, no. 1, 1954, pp. 1-19. Details
• Britten, J., 'Review of 'George Bentham' by B. D. Jackson', Journal of Botany, British and Foreign, vol. 44, 1906. Details
• Hooker, J. D., 'George Bentham, FRS', Annals of Botany, vol. 12, 1898. Details
• Hooker, J. D., 'Review of 'George Bentham'', Kew Bulletin, 1906, p. 106. Details
• Jackson, B. D., 'Obituary and Bibliography [Bentham George]', Proceedings of the Linnean Society (London), 1884, p. 90. Details
• Lucas, A. M., 'Assistance at a Distance: George Bentham, Ferdinand von Mueller and the Production of the Flora australiensis', Archives of Natural History, vol. 30, 2003, pp. 255-281. Details
• Maiden, J.H., 'A Century of Botanical Endeavor in South Australia', Australasian Association for Advancement of Science, vol. xi, 1907, pp. 158-199. Details
• Maiden, J.H., 'Records of Australian Botanists - (a) General, (b) New South Wales', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. xlii, 1908, pp. 60-132. Details
• Stafleu, F. A., 'The Flora Australiensis', Taxonomist, vol. 16, 1967. Details
• Stevens, P.F., 'J.D. Hooker, George Bentham, Asa Gray and Ferdinand Mueller on Species Limits in Theory and Practice: a Mid-Nineteenth-Century Debate and its Repercussions', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 11, no. 3, 1997, pp. 335-344. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9971130345.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Bentham, George', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-792071. Details