Plants: a living link

Plant collections were an important part of the Investigator voyage. Flinders was ordered by the Lord High Admiral to maintain a "plant cabin" to bring living plants back to Kew Gardens in London. It is therefore very appropriate that the bicentennial celebrations included lectures on the botanist Brown, students working with plant illustrators, botanic garden walks and tree-plantings (see Calendar). Scientists with the RGSQ Gulf Scientific Studies surveyed areas of the Gulf where Robert Brown had worked, at Pennefather River and Sweers Island. Some communities marked the bicentenary by a commemorative planting of trees from the genus Flindersia which includes beautiful trees like the Crows Ash and other trees more suited to western Queensland. Some revegetated an area using mainly plants collected by Brown. There is a special Arbor Day Flinders Tree Planting Award for plantings linked to Flinders and Brown. This award will be given in 2003 and 2004. The 2002 winner of this award was the South Johnstone State School. We have added three of Brown's plant lists to our web site.

Last updated 3 February 2003. For more information email admin@rgsq.org.au     Return to home