King, Georgina, Miss (1845 - 1932)

Born in Fremantle, WA, 1845; died, unmarried, in Sydney 7 June 1932.

One of seven children, to the clergyman George King (1813-1899), and Jane née Stewart (d.1900). The family settled in Sydney in 1847 where Georgina's father became incumbent of St Andrew's parish.

Georgina tried to become a scientist but was frustrated by restrictions on women's participation in educational and scientific institutions.

She collected MEL specimens at the Blue Mountains, 1892-1893, 1895, 1897; west of the Blue Mountains, 1893, 1895; Port Jackson, 1893-1896; Springwood, 1893; Croydon Downs, Darling River, Elizabeth Bay, Homebush, and Hunter River, 1894; Castlereagh River, 1895; Hawkesbury River, 1896; and Taralga, 1897.

Georgina collected the type of Pultenaea subternata H.B.Will. (1925).

Georgina's friend Mrs John Brown also collected MEL specimens.

Georgina wrote a couple of books on Aboriginal antiquity.

Georgina died, unmarried, in Sydney aged 87 in 1932.

Seven letters from Mueller to Georgina survive, and five from Georgina to Mueller.

Mueller gave Georgina inscribed copies of his Select extra-tropical plants (1881) and (1895).

There is a biographical book: Ginger for pluck : the life and times of Miss Georgina King (2012) by Jennifer M.T. Carter and Roger Cross.

Source: extracted from: Maroske, Sara and Vaughan, Alison (2014) 'Ferdinand Mueller's female plant collectors: a biographical register', Muelleria Vol.32 [consult for source references]
Portrait Photo: Collection of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Collecting localities for 'King, G.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 478 specimens