Charles Baron Clarke facts for kids
Charles Baron Clarke (born June 17, 1832 – died August 25, 1906) was an important British botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. He was born in Andover, England.
Clarke studied at King's College School in London. He also attended Trinity and Queens' Colleges at Cambridge University. He first studied law and became a lawyer in 1860.
Life and Work
Charles Baron Clarke had a varied career. From 1857 to 1865, he taught mathematics. He worked at Presidency College in Calcutta, India.
Later, he became an Inspector of Schools in Eastern Bengal. He also inspected schools across India. From 1869 to 1871, he was in charge of the Calcutta Botanical Garden. This garden is a famous place for studying plants.
Clarke left the Indian Civil Service in 1887. He then focused more on his botanical studies. He worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in England. This is one of the world's most famous plant research centers. He continued his work there until he passed away in 1906.
Achievements and Recognition
Charles Baron Clarke was highly respected in the scientific community. He was the president of the Linnean Society from 1894 to 1896. The Linnean Society is a very old and important group for natural history.
In 1882, he was chosen as a fellow of the Royal Society. This is a great honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. He is buried in Richmond Cemetery.
Plants Named After Him
Many plants have been named in honor of Charles Baron Clarke. This is a common way to remember important botanists.
Some plants have the specific name clarkei. One example is Iris clarkei, a type of iris flower.
There are also entire groups of plants named after him:
- Clarkella is a genus of flowering plants. These plants belong to the family called Rubiaceae.
- Clarkeinda is a genus of fungi. These fungi are part of the Agaricaceae family.
