Ernest Charles Nelson facts for kids
Ernest Charles Nelson (born September 15, 1951, died May 20, 2024) was a famous botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Charles Nelson was especially interested in the heather family, called Ericaceae, and a specific plant group within it called Erica. He also studied another plant family called Proteaceae, especially a group known as Adenanthos. He wrote or edited over 24 books and more than 150 research papers about plants. He was also an editor for important science journals like Archives of Natural History and Heathers.
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Early Life and Education
Charles Nelson was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Enniskillen and went to Portora Royal School. He then studied botany at the Aberystwyth University in Wales. After that, he moved to Australia. There, he earned his PhD in 1975 from the Australian National University in Canberra. His studies focused on how to classify and understand the Adenanthos plants in their natural environment.
Work in Ireland
After his studies in Australia, Charles Nelson returned to Ireland. He started working as a plant expert at the Irish National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. While in Dublin, he helped start the Irish Garden Plant Society. He was even made an honorary member later on. He loved learning about the history of Irish gardens and the plants that grew in them. He often wrote articles about this for The Irish Garden magazine. He also helped set up the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust in 1980 and was its co-president for many years.
Later Years and Research
From 1996, Charles Nelson lived in England. He first lived in Outwell, near Wisbech in Norfolk. Later, in 2020, he moved to Sutton St Edmund in South Lincolnshire. In his later years, he worked as an independent botanist, writer, and editor. Until 2015, he often led plant-focused trips, especially to Crete.
He wrote several important books during this time. In 2014, he published a book about John Scouler, a Scottish naturalist. He also wrote a book about Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe, a botanical artist. This book was called Shadow among splendours. It shared Lady Cuffe's adventures among the flowers of Burma. He also helped edit a book called The curious Mister Catesby, which was about a naturalist exploring new worlds.
Awards and Recognition
Charles Nelson received many important awards for his work.
- In May 2013, he received the Founders' Medal from the Society for the History of Natural History.
- In February 2015, the Royal Horticultural Society gave him the Veitch Memorial Medal. This is a very special award for people who have done great things in horticulture.
- In September 2016, he received the Award of Merit from The Heather Society for his work with them.
- On December 3, 2016, he was one of three people to receive the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland's Medal of Honour.
Notable Publications
Two of Charles Nelson's books were named "Reference Book of The Year" by the Garden Media Guild.
- In 2001, his book A heritage of beauty. The garden plants of Ireland. An illustrated encyclopaedia (ISBN: 0-9515890-1-6) won this award.
- In 2012, his book Hardy heathers of the northern hemisphere: Calluna, Daboecia, Erica (ISBN: 978-1-84246-170-9) also received this honor.
See also
