Morison
was born at Aberdeen, Scotland in 1620. His life was
"spent in atmosphere of the court and the county
seat".
Morison studied botany under Robin, Botanist to the
King of France. He became very successful in his work
and was invited to return to England and become
physician to the king and Royal Professor of Botany
and Director of Botanic Gardens (1668). From this time
until his death he was Professor of Botany at Oxford.
He was author of: Hortus Regius Blesensis
(1669) and Plantarum Historiae Universalis
Oxoniensis (1680). He described herbaceous plants
and obtained information from the work of Cesalpino
and others. It has been stated that "his career marks
the birth of academic botany in Britain". He has been
given credit for formulating a pattern of plant
classification from which later de Jussieu, de
Candolle and Benthan and Hooker were to develop their
system of classification. Morison in 1683, while
crossing Trafalgar Square was struck by a coach and
died the following day.
