Henry Collett facts for kids

Sir Henry Collett (born March 6, 1836 – died December 21, 1901) was an English soldier and a person who studied plants, known as a botanist. He worked as an army officer for the East India Company, which was a powerful British trading company that also had its own army.

Sir Henry Collett's Life and Career

Sir Henry Collett was born in Thetford, a town in Norfolk, England. He was the fourth son of Reverend W. Collett. Henry went to school at Tonbridge School and later at Addiscombe Military Seminary, which was a special college for training army officers.

Joining the Army

Henry Collett joined the Bengal Army on June 8, 1855. The Bengal Army was part of the East India Company's forces in India. He worked hard and moved up through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant colonel by 1879.

During the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880), he served as a quartermaster general. This meant he was in charge of supplies and arrangements for the army. He worked with a famous general named Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts.

Henry Collett continued to advance in his military career. He became a colonel in 1884. In 1891, he received a special honor called Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) from the King or Queen. From 1892 to 1893, he was in charge of the Peshawar district as a major-general. He retired from the army in 1893.

His Passion for Plants

Sir Henry Collett loved studying plants and became a very dedicated botanist. He first became interested in plants in 1878 when he was stationed in the Kurram Valley.

He traveled to many places to study and collect plants. These places included Afghanistan, Algeria, Burma, the Canary Islands, Corsica, India, Java, and Spain.

In 1879, he became a fellow of the Linnean Society of London. This is a very respected group for scientists who study natural history. He also helped start the Simla Naturalists' Society.

Sir Henry Collett was working on a book about the plants of Simla when he passed away. This book, called Flora Simlensis, was published after his death in 1902.

His Legacy in Botany

After Sir Henry Collett died, his collection of dried plants, called a herbarium, was given to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, England. This is a very important place for plant research.

A type of plant, Iris collettii, was named after him in 1909 to honor his contributions to botany.