Hooker, Joseph D. (1817 - 1911)

Son of William Hooker, Assistant Director of Kew under him (1855-1865), and Director (1865-1885). In 1839 he joined Sir James Clark Ross' Antarctic expedition in Erebus and Terror. These ships explored the southern part of South America, New Zealand, and many islands of the South Pacific, as well as the subantarctic. They spent nearly six months in Tasmania, August-November 1840 and April-July 1841, as well as visiting Sydney, New South Wales, for three weeks in 1841. Hooker collected in the Hobart and Port Arthur areas and the upper Derwent in 1840, and in the Richmond and Huon areas in 1841. The outcome, the 6-volume Botany of the Antarctic Voyage..., provided the best account of the plants of New Zealand (Flora Novae-Zelandiae, 1852-1855) and Australia (Flora Tasmaniae, 1855-1859) written until that time. Flora Tasmaniae also contains a milestone essay on biogeography. Hooker later went on to explore in the Himalayas. His main collection is in K, but a few duplicates are held elsewhere, e.g. in BR, CAL, DBN, E, GH, HO, K, KATH, MANCH, MH, TCD and W. The Erebus and Terror specimens are in at least 31 herbaria.

Source: Extracted from: A.E.Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed., ABRS. [consult for source references]