Charles Fraser (botanist) facts for kids

Charles Fraser (1788 – 22 December 1831) was an important botanist in New South Wales, Australia. He worked as the Colonial Botanist from 1821 until his death in 1831. Fraser collected and listed many different types of plants found in Australia. He also joined several exploring trips. One of his most famous trips was the Stirling expedition of 1827. His report about the soil quality on this trip was very important in the decision to start the Swan River Colony in Western Australia.

Early Life and Army Days

Charles Fraser was born in 1788 in Blair Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland. He first worked as a gardener, possibly for the large estates of the Duke of Atholl. He also had connections with the famous botanic gardens in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In 1815, Fraser joined the army as a soldier. He served in the East Indies before arriving in Sydney, Australia, in 1816. In Sydney, people quickly saw how skilled he was with plants. He was made the superintendent (manager) of the Royal Botanic Gardens. He kept this important job until he died.

Fraser left the army in 1821 and was officially named the Colonial Botanist. For the next ten years, he helped the Sydney Botanic Gardens grow. It changed from being just a governor's kitchen garden to a world-famous botanic garden. He sent and received plants and seeds to and from major plant centers around the world.

Exploring Australia

From 1817, Charles Fraser traveled a lot to collect plants. He was part of three expeditions led by John Oxley:

• The 1817 trip to the Lachlan River and Bathurst.
• The 1818 trip into north-eastern New South Wales.
• The 1819 trip to the areas of Port Macquarie and Hastings River.

He also visited Tasmania in 1820. In 1826, he went to Tasmania again, and also to New Zealand and Norfolk Island.

The Swan River Expedition

In early 1827, Fraser joined Captain James Stirling on the Swan River expedition. This trip was to explore the Swan River on the west coast of Australia. The goal was to see if it was a good place for a new British settlement.

The expedition arrived on 4 March. Stirling and Fraser explored the lower parts of the river. The next day, Stirling led a group of 18 men further up the Swan River. Fraser, Stirling, and Frederick Garling were the first Europeans to climb Mount Eliza.

Near the current city of Perth, Stirling named a spot Point Fraser to honor Fraser. Fraser also found a freshwater stream and a lagoon, which were named Clause's Brook and Clause's Lagoon after another explorer, Frederick Clause.

By 14 March, the group had followed the Swan River to where it met Ellen Brook. The boats could not go any further. Stirling then split the group into three teams to explore in different directions. Fraser's team went east and found "many curious and interesting Botanical specimens."

After returning to the ship, Fraser wrote a very positive report about the soil quality in the area. He said it was better than any land he had seen in New South Wales. This report, along with Stirling's report, helped convince the British government to start the Swan River Colony. This led to a lot of excitement about the new colony, sometimes called "Swan River mania".

However, the soil in the area was actually quite poor. Fraser was later criticized for his report not being accurate. The explorers had only seen the narrow strip of rich soil near the river. They did not know about the poor sandy soil that made up most of the land. People also thought Fraser might have been fooled by how green the native plants looked. In Australia, many plants can grow in dry, poor soils, which is different from England.

Many settlers who arrived at the Swan River Colony were very disappointed. They blamed Fraser for the wrong information. One settler, Eliza Shaw, wrote that the man who reported the land was good "deserves hanging nine times over." A naval officer said Fraser's report was "highly coloured" (exaggerated).

Later Expeditions

In 1828, Fraser joined Allan Cunningham on a trip that connected the Moreton Bay settlement with the Darling Downs. Later that year, the Governor sent him to collect plants and start a public garden in Brisbane. He also made many trips to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) and Norfolk Island to collect plants.

Death and Legacy

Charles Fraser passed away on 22 December 1831. He had collected and listed hundreds of Australian plants. More than thirty plant species were named after him, including types of Acacia, Boronia, Hakea, and Sophora. His plant samples are now kept in important plant collections around the world, including at Kew in England and the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

Fraser is also remembered in the scientific name of an Australian lizard species, Delma fraseri.