This page is intended to give a home for examples of the collections of James Drummond.

Born in near Forfar Angus, he became gardener at Cork Botanic Garden in Ireland; but best know for early field collections and botany in the Swan River Colony, Australia.

His collections were despatched to William Hooker at Kew in 6 lots known as the “6 collections”

1st Collection –  In August 1839, he made an expedition to Rottnest Island in company with John Gilbert and Ludwig Preiss, and made two journeys into the Guangan that year. In 1840 he undertook an expedition to King George Sound, helping to identify a poisonous plant as the cause of many stock deaths in the area. In 1841 he went in search of good squatting land to the east of their land in Toodyay. The expedition, which included Captain John Scully, Samuel Pole Phillips and Johnston Drummond, discovered the vast tract of open pastoral land that is now known as the Victoria Plains.

2nd Collection – Drummond made four expeditions in 1842. The first was to the Vasse district; the second into unexplored territory around the present-day site of the town of Moora; the third into the Wongan Hills with Gilbert and Johnston Drummond; and the fourth in the south west corner of the colony with Gilbert. In addition to collecting plants, Drummond also made large collections of moss and fungi during 1842 and 1843.

3rd Collection – Near the end of 1843, the Dummond and his son Johnson made an expedition to the north and east of Bolgart. Then a major expedition to King George Sound, and east as far as Cape Riche.

4th Collection  – In 1846 – Drummond travelled south to the Porongorup and Stirling Ranges, extensively exploring both, then south to King George Sound and east along the coast for five days.

5th Collection –  In 1848 – Drummond travelled along the south coast to Mount Barren.

6th Collection – 1851  Was made in Champion Bay

taken from Wikipedia