James Sykes Gamble facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Sykes Gamble
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James Sykes Gamble
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| Born | 2 July 1847 |
| Died | 16 October 1925 (aged 78) Haslemere, West Sussex
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| Known for | The book A Manual of Indian Timbers |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
James Sykes Gamble CIE FRS FLS (1847–1925) was an English botanist. He was an expert on the plants of India. He also became the head of the British Imperial Forest School in Dehradun, India.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
James Sykes Gamble was born in London on July 2, 1847. He was the second son in his family. He went to the Royal Naval School. Later, he studied mathematics at Magdalen College in Oxford. He was very good at math.
In 1868, he finished his studies. The next year, he joined the Indian Forest Department. He then went to France to study forestry. He learned about how to classify plants there.
Working in India
Gamble moved to India in 1871. He joined the Imperial Forest Department. His first job was in Burma. After a year, he moved to Bengal. He worked in the Darjeeling forests. There, he made the first list of trees and shrubs in Darjeeling.
From 1872 to 1877, he worked in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri. He also visited Allahabad and Shimla. In 1877, he moved to Shimla. He studied the local plants there.
Forestry Work and Collections
In 1879, Gamble moved to Calcutta. He traveled around different regions like the Sunderbans. He worked with other botanists, Sulpiz Kurz and George King. In 1890, Gamble started the Forest School Herbarium. This is a collection of dried plants. It was later called the Dehradun Herbarium.
In 1882, he became a Conservator in Madras. He worked with W. A. Talbot. He became interested in growing Eucalyptus globulus trees. In 1890, he became the Director of the Forest School in Dehra Dun. He stayed in this job until he retired in 1899.
At Dehra Dun, he grew his plant collection. He added plants from the Himalayan regions. He also got specimens from other botanists. His collection had nearly 50,000 plant samples. It was one of the largest plant collections in India.
After Retirement
After he retired, Gamble kept working on forestry. He helped start the Forestry School at Oxford. He gave his huge collection of plants to Kew Gardens in England.
He also wrote several important books. His most famous book was A Manual of Indian Timbers. This book described the trees of India and Ceylon. He also wrote many articles for the Indian Forester magazine. He was one of its first editors.
Another big project was the Flora of the Presidency of Madras. He published five parts of this book during his life. He was working on the seventh part when he passed away. This book is still a very important guide for plants in that region.
Later Life and Family
Gamble moved back to the UK in 1899. He settled in Liss, Hampshire. He planted 72 acres of land with different kinds of trees. Many of these trees grew from seeds he had collected. In 1911, he married Gertrude Latter.
Passing Away
James Sykes Gamble passed away on October 16, 1925. He was 78 years old.
Honors and Recognition
James Sykes Gamble received many honors for his work.
- In 1879, a botanist named C.B. Clarke named a genus of plants Gamblea after him. This plant family is called Araliaceae.
- In 1899, Gamble was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists. His nomination said he was a "Conservator of Forests" and Director of the Imperial Forest School.
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James Sykes Gamble
