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Born in the mid 18th century, William Roxburgh was brought up in the centre of the Edinburgh Enlightenment, with all the patronage an intellectual curiosity that this entailed. After joining the East India Company as an Assistant Surgeon on one of their ships, he joined the staff of the General hospital at Madras. Soon he was Company Naturalist, describing many species for the first time which inspired some beautiful watercolour drawings by Indian artists, copies of which were sent to Sir Joseph Banks at Kew. Arising from his scientific work, he was appointed the first paid Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden in 1793, where he continued his previous experimental work as well as looking into the introduction of a wide range of crops. Always looking for ways to improve the lot of native workers, to reduce the impact of frequent famines, he suggested labour-intensive methods by developing local skills and introducing suitable plants could be used for food. With important work also on the botany of the Cape of Good House as well as St Helena, and significant contributions to the fields of meteorology, zoology and geology, Roxburgh's obituaries referred to him as the 'greatest botanist since Linnaeus.' This is the first full biography of 'The Founding Father of Indian Botany.' Beautifully illustrated throughout with archival material, botanical drawings and photographs, some published here for the first time, this joint publication with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a must for historians, botanist and general readers alike.

This 2001 book provides a selective annotated bibliography of the principal floras and related works of inventory for vascular plants. The second edition was completely updated and expanded to take into account the substantial literature of the late twentieth century, and features a more fully developed review of the history of floristic documentation. The works covered are principally specialist publications such as floras, checklists, distribution atlases, systematic iconographies and enumerations or catalogues, although a relatively few more popularly oriented books are also included. The Guide is organised in ten geographical divisions, with these successively divided into regions and units, each of which is prefaced with a historical review of floristic studies. In addition to the bibliography, the book includes general chapters on botanical bibliography, the history of floras, and general principles and current trends, plus an appendix on bibliographic searching, a lexicon of serial abbreviations, and author and geographical indexes.