David Moore (botanist born 1808) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Moore
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| Born | 23 April 1808 Dundee, Scotland
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| Died | 9 June 1879 (aged 71) Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland
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| Nationality | Scottish |
| Other names | David Muir |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | National Botanic Gardens, Ireland |
David Moore (born April 23, 1808 – died June 9, 1879) was a Scottish botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. David Moore was the director of the National Botanic Gardens in Ireland for over 40 years.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
David Moore was born in Dundee, Scotland, on April 23, 1808. His parents were Charles and Helen Moir. His father was a gardener. The family changed their name from Moir to Moore in 1830.
David learned about plants from Douglas Gardiner at the Dundee Rational Institution Museum. He then became an apprentice gardener. He worked at the Earl of Camperdown and later at James Cunningham's nursery in Edinburgh.
Working in Ireland
In November 1828, David Moore moved to Ireland. He became an assistant at the Trinity College Botanic Gardens in Dublin. His brother, Charles, later joined him there.
Exploring Irish Plants
While working at Trinity College, David became very interested in Irish plants. In 1833, he became a botanist for the Ordnance Survey. This group mapped and studied the land. For four years, he explored Counties Antrim and Londonderry. He wrote a book about his findings in 1837.
During his surveys, he found some rare plants. These included the narrow small-reed and the club-sedge. Sadly, these plants are now gone from the wild in Ireland. He also recorded many other plants for the first time in Ireland.
Leading the Botanic Gardens
In 1838, David Moore became the director of the Royal Dublin Society's botanic garden in Glasnevin, Dublin. He stayed in this important job until he passed away.
As director, he traveled a lot in the United Kingdom and Europe. He collected unusual and rare plants for the Gardens. He also received plant donations, including many from his brother Charles in Australia.
David Moore became an expert on plants like liverworts and mosses. He also loved orchids. Under his care, orchids were grown from seeds for the first time in Ireland. This happened between 1845 and 1849. He also improved the Gardens' glasshouses. He gathered a large collection of insect-eating plants.
Researching the Potato Blight
David Moore was director during the Great Famine in Ireland. This was a terrible time when potato crops failed. He studied the potato blight that caused the problem.
He proved that a fungus caused the disease. Before this, people thought it was due to weather. He saw the blight affecting potatoes in the Botanic Gardens on August 20, 1845. This was the first confirmed record of the disease in Ireland. He tried to find ways to treat the disease, but he was not successful.
Awards and Recognition
In 1864, David Moore earned a PhD from the University of Zurich. He also received two gold medals in 1874 for his work in horticulture. Horticulture is the art of garden cultivation.
He helped with the Paris exhibition in 1867. He was also a judge at a plant and garden meeting in Saint Petersburg in 1869. He became a member of the Linnaean Society in 1841. In 1845, he joined the Royal Irish Academy.
Later Years
In 1878, the Botanic Gardens moved to government control. David Moore remained director. He passed away on June 9, 1879, in Glasnevin. His son, Frederick William Moore, took over his role. David Moore is buried in Mount Jerome cemetery in Dublin.
His Published Works
David Moore wrote many papers about plants. These were published in different science journals. He mostly wrote about mosses and liverworts. In 1873, he published a book called Synopsis of Mosses.
In 1866, he worked with Alexander Goodman More to write Contributions towards a Cybele Hibernica. This book described where different plants grew in Ireland. His last work was about a new type of plant called Isoetes. He named it Isoetes morei after his friend, Alexander More.
Family Life
David Moore was married three times. His first wife, Hannah Bridgford, passed away in 1840. They had two daughters. His second wife, Isabella, died in 1847. They were also thought to have two children.
On December 7, 1854, he married his third wife, Margaret Baker. They had five children together: two daughters and three sons.
