Botany John Templeton (botanist)

plants in tropical house in botanic gardens, belfast

john templeton s interest in botany began experimental garden laid out according suggestion in rousseau s nouvelle heloise , following rousseau s letters on elements of botany . here cultivated many tender exotics out of doors , began botanical studies lasted throughout life , corresponded eminent botanists in england sir william hooker, william turner, james sowerby and, sir joseph banks, had travelled on captain james cook s voyages, , in charge of kew gardens. banks tried (unsuccessfully) tempt him new holland (australia) botanist on flinders s expedition offer of large tract of land , substantial salary. associate of linnean society, templeton visited london , saw botanical work being achieved there. led promotion of belfast botanic gardens 1809, , work on catalogue of native irish plants, in manuscript form , in royal irish academy, used accurate foundation later work succeeding irish botanists. assembled text , executed many beautiful watercolour drawings flora hibernica, sadly never finished, , kept detailed journal during years 1806–1825 (both in ulster museum, belfast).[1] of 12000 algal specimens in ulster museum herbarium 148 in templeton collection , collected him, collected others , passed templeton. specimens in templeton collection in ulster museum (bel) have been catalogued. noted in 1967 numbered: f1 – f48. others in queen s university belfast. queens university belfast of templeton s specimens have been numbered in ulster museum follows: f190 – f264; f290 – f314 , f333 – f334. templeton first finder of rosa hibernica (1795) , in ireland of sisymbrium ligusticum seoticum (1793), adoxa moschatellina (1820), orobanche rubra , many other plants.