The Plant Hunters

Yesterday's London Times

This is a companion episode to last week’s Exotica Mania. In that episode, we considered the Victorian plant frenzy, especially for exotic plants from faraway lands.

But how did the plants come to Britain? Enter the PLANT HUNTERS. The Indiana Joneses, and sometimes the Jack Sparrows, of their day. Plant hunters were sent off to explore in every direction in search of specimens that might have potential.

They faced weather extremes, illness, thieves, shipwrecks, violence, imprisonment, piracy, disease.

In this episode, we’ll unearth some stories of:
- best laid plans that go awry at high altitudes,
- a noted plant hunter who ends up dead, and maybe murdered, in a bull pit,
- high level corporate espionage for the British East India Company,
- what happens when you run into fifty mules on a narrow mountain trail,
- encounters with vampire bats and other creatures,
- when plants attack, and
- being buried in style, with a crate of whiskey and a complete set of Jane Austen.
Photos and links can be found at our show notes HERE.

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