"Heber Drury... orchid named after him. British botanist... Heber Drury (1819-72) was a Colonel in the Madras Light Infantry stationed in Travancore.
He wrote the Handbook of Indian Flora (3 volumes) and the Useful Plants of India... The British government was interested in knowing the commercial potential of the plants in their tropical colonies... As an adjunct to this study, a school of botanical painting developed in South India... His autobiography, Reminiscences of Life & Sport in Southern India (London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1890) provides a window to the natural history of the period. ... orchid of the Western Ghats has been christened after him. Paphiopedilum drury[i] is endemic to the Agasthya ranges near Tirunelveli, better known as the Courtallam ranges, almost at the southern end of the Western Ghats. This area has now been recognised as one of the hot spots of biodiversity in the world... The orchid... grows in the grassy slopes of these ranges and blooms in May/June, a yellow-coloured flower 5-7 cm in size... species found in the Himalayas and next only in the Western Ghats but nowhere in between... The... orchid came to symbolise the disappearing floral wealth and the amazing biodiversity of the Western Ghats. To raise money to save such rare botanical species of the world, the plant artist Stone chose to paint the... Orchid and sold it [the painting ?] to raise money." URL : http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/09/07/stories/2008090750300700.htm illustration : http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/09/07/images/2008090750300701.jpg ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
