George William Francis (1800–9 August 1865) was an English horticulturalist and science writer. He migrated to the colony of South Australia in 1849 and became the first director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden in 1860.

George William Francis

Life

Born in London, Francis emigrated to Australia for improved prospects of supporting his family; he arrived in the Louisa Baillie on 2 September 1849. Shortly he took over the old botanical garden of Adelaide, north of the Torrens River, as a tenant. He was then appointed director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, a position he held for the rest of his life.[1]

Francis died of dropsy on 9 August 1865 and was buried the next day, leaving a widow and ten children.[1]

Legacy

Francis established much of the garden and pagoda in the first botanical museum in Adelaide, the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Hakea francisiana, an Australian shrub that grows to 4 metres (13 ft), is named after him.[2]

Works

Francis published:[1]

Francis also edited the first five volumes of the Magazine of Science and School of Arts, 1840–5.[1]

The standard author abbreviation Francis is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Francis, George William" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ^ "Hakea francisiana". Australian Native Plants Society. August 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  3. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Francis.

Further reading

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Francis, George William". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

External links

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