Harry Bolus (April 28, 1834 - May 25, 1911) was a South African botanist, botanical artist, businessman and philanthropist. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1834 ( MDCCCXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa He advanced botany in South Africa by establishing bursaries, founding the Bolus Herbarium and bequeathing his library and a large part of his fortune to the South African College (now the University of Cape Town). The University of Cape Town ( UCT) is a Public university located on the Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devil's Peak, in Cape Town Active in scientific circles, he was a Fellow of the Linnean Society, member and president of the South African Philosophical Society (later the Royal Society of SA), awarded the SA Medal and Grant by the SA Association for the Advancement of Science and an honorary D. Sc. from the University of the Cape of Good Hope. Volume 121 of Curtis's Botanical Magazine was dedicated to him. He is commemorated in five genera: Bolusia Benth. , Bolusafra Kuntze, Neobolusia Schltr. , Bolusanthus Harms and Bolusiella Schltr. , as well as numerous specific names.
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Biography
Bolus was born in Nottingham, England. Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. He was educated at Castle Gate School, Nottingham. The headmaster George Herbert regularly corresponded with and received plant specimens from William Kensit of Grahamstown, South Africa. Kensit requested that the headmaster send him one of his pupils as an assistant; Harry Bolus duly landed at Port Elizabeth from the ship Jane in March 1850. He spent two years with Kensit and then moved to Port Elizabeth. Following a short visit to England, he settled in Graaff-Reinet, where he would live for the next 19 years. In 1857 he married Sophia Kensit, the sister of William Kensit. Between 1858 and 1870 they had 3 sons and a daughter. In 1864 he lost his eldest son of six years, and Francis Guthrie who had become a close friend, suggested his taking up botany to ameliorate his loss. Francis Guthrie (b January 22 1831 in London d October 19 1899 in Claremont Cape Town was a South African mathematician and botanist who first posed the Four He started his botanical collection in 1865 and was soon corresponding with Joseph Hooker at Kew, William Henry Harvey in Dublin and Peter MacOwan in Grahamstown. Joseph Hooker ( November 13, 1814 &ndash October 31, 1879) was a career United States Army officer fought in the Mexican-American William Henry Harvey ( February 5, 1811 &ndash May 15, 1866) was an Irish Botanist who specialised in Algae. Peter MacOwan born Hull, England on 14 November 1830 - died Uitenhage, Cape Province 30 November 1909 was a colonial Botanist and teacher in South One of his most treasured gifts was a copy of De Candolle's Prodromus received from Guthrie in 1869. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Prodr In 1875 he joined his brother Walter in Cape Town, settling in the suburb of Kenilworth, where they founded a stockbroking firm called Bolus Bros. The following year he and Guthrie made their first visit to Kew, taking with them a large number of plant specimens for naming. Bolus described the period as 'forty happy days'. Returning in the Windsor Castle in October 1876, the ship struck a reef off Dassen Island with the loss of his specimens and notes. Not daunted, he set about the collection of new specimens and organised expeditions to various corners of South Africa. He was an excellent field botanist and published numerous books on his observations. Although adventurous by nature, he was also quiet and unassuming.
His business flourished so that many fine botanical books came into his possession. Complete sets of the Botanical Magazine, Botanical Register, Refugium Botanicum, and the large folios of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Ferdinand Bauer and Francis Masson formed part of his collection. Pierre-Joseph Redouté ( July 10, 1759 - June 20, 1840) was a Belgian painter and Botanist, known for his paintings Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin or Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin. Ferdinand Lucas Bauer ( 20 January 1760 – 17 March 1826) was an Austrian Botanical illustrator who travelled on Matthew Francis Masson (August 1741 &ndash 23 December 1805) was a Scottish Botanist and gardener and Kew Gardens ’ first plant hunter He founded the Harry Bolus Professorship at the Cape University and left a large trust for scholarships. He also donated his extensive herbarium and library to the South African College. He was one of the founding Members of the South African Philosophical Society.
Harry Bolus loved visiting England and made a total of 28 voyages (14 each way) to and from South Africa. He died of heart failure at Oxford, Surrey, on the 25th of May, 1911. His youngest son Frank married Harriet Margaret Louisa Kensit, William Kensit's granddaughter, the following year.
Collecting expeditions
- Namaqualand 1883
- Eastern Cape with HG Flanagan and EE Galpin
- Lourenço Marques to Barberton to Pretoria to Cape Town 1886
- Orange Free State (Bester's Vlei, Witzieshoek, Mont-aux-Sources) with Flanagan 1893-94
- Transvaal and Swaziland 1904-06
Publications
- A Preliminary list of the Cape orchids 1881
- Descriptions of the 117 Cape Peninsula orchids illustrated by 36 plates drawn and coloured by himself. John Lindley ( February 8, 1799 - November 1, 1865) was an English Botanist. Namaqualand ( Afrikaans: Namakwaland) is an arid region of South Africa, extending along the west coast over 600 miles and covering a total area of 170000 The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho. Ernest Edward Galpin (born Grahamstown December 6 1858 - October 16 1941 Mosdene Transvaal, was a South African botanist and banker Lourenço Marques was a 16th century Portuguese trader Biography He explored the area that is now Maputo Bay in 1544. Barberton is the name of different towns including Barberton Ohio, United States Barberton Mpumalanga, South Africa Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The Republic of the Orange Free State (Oranje-Vrystaat Dutch: Oranje-Vrijstaat) was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa For the Russian theme park see Transvaal Park. The Transvaal (Afrikaans lit The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country located in Southern Africa centred at approximately 26o49'S 31o38'E
- A Sketch of the flora of South Africa 1886
- Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanum Extra-tropicarum Volume 1 Part 1 comprising 50 plates 1893.
- Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanum Extra-tropicarum Part 2 1896.
- Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanum Extra-tropicarum Volume 2 comprising 100 plates 1911 (shortly after his death).
- Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanum Extra-tropicarum Volume 3 edited by his grand-niece Miss HML Kensit, and containing 9 plates painted by his son Frank 1913.
- A list of flowering plants and ferns of the Cape Peninsula with Wolley-Dod
- Ericaceae for Flora Capensis with Francis Guthrie and NE Brown
References
- Botanical Exploration of Southern Africa Mary Gunn and LE Codd (Balkema 1981)
External links
Francis Guthrie (b January 22 1831 in London d October 19 1899 in Claremont Cape Town was a South African mathematician and botanist who first posed the Four Nicholas Edward Brown ( 11 July 1849 Redhill Surrey - 25 November 1934 Kew Gardens, London) was an EnglishDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic