Ernest Henry
Wilson was born in Gloucestershire, England on
February 15, 1876. After some years in school he began
work for the Hewitt Nurseries at Solihull,
Warwickshire. In 1892 he was asked to come to the
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and at the same time he
studied botany in the Birmingham Technical School
where he won the Queen's Prize. At twenty-one years of
age he went to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Shortly he became a teacher of botany in the Royal
College of Science at South Kensington, now a part of
the University of London.
Interestingly the famous firm James Veitch and Sons
was seeking a man to explore inland China for the
purpose of locating the Dove trio Davidia
Involucrata, accounts of which had been sent by
Dr. Henry, an earlier plant explorer. Ernest Wilson
was assigned this responsibility. Later Wilson sent
back many of the collected seeds from his explorations
to this nursery among which were these of
Meconopsis integrifolia, Astilbe
davidi, Pheum alexandrae,
Senecio clivorum, Paonia Veitch,
and Clematis Montam rubens.
At the beginning of his trip the elder Veitch
reportedly said to him, "My boy, stick to one thing
you are after and do not spend time and money
wandering about. Probably almost every individual
plant in China has now been introduced into Europe."
This set of directions are interesting in view of the
fact that Wilson himself subsequently introduced from
China at least 1500 plants hitherto unknown.
Wilson decided to start on his journal by visiting
America where he established two lifelong friendships,
one with Professor Charles Sargeant and one with
Jackson Dawson. Most of his time in America was spent
in Arnold Arboretum and the beautiful gardens of
Professor Sergeant in Brookline.
He returned to England in 1902 and married again in
1903 he went back to China and returned in 1905. He
became a botanical assistant at the Imperial Institute
in London. Very shortly Professor Sergeant asked him
to return to China on behalf of the Arnold Arboretum.
In January 1907 he started for China on this trip
designed especially to locate trees and shrubs of
value to American gardens
A fourth exploration to China was initiated by the
Arnold Arboretum with which he was now definitely
employed. In this exploration he found many of the
Chinese introductions including the Royal Lily,
Sargeant's Lily, and the Wilmott Lily. He also
introduced Henry's Lily and Lilium davidi was
rediscovered.
He returned in 1911 and then set off to Japan to
collect Japanese cherries. In 1915 he returned to the
Arboretum with 63 named forms of these cherries. In
1917 and 1918 he went back to Asia, exploring in Korea
and Formosa. Upon return to the Arnold Arboretum in
1919 he was appointed Associate Director. Three years
later he set off for Australia, New Zealand, India,
Central and South America and East Africa. These
expeditions involved 2 years. In 1927 he became Keeper
of the Arnold Arboretum with a marvelous record of
plant explorations for which to be very proud. He had
collected and introduced into cultivars a greater
number of plants than any other collector.
Plantae Wilsonianae (with Alfred Rehder)
1911-1917
A Naturalist in Western China 2 vol. 1913
The Cherries of Japan 1916
The Conifers and Taxads of Japan 1916
A Monograph of Azaleas (with Alfred Rehder)
1921
The Lilies of Eastern Asia 1925
America's Greatest Garden (Arnold Arboretum)
1925, 1926
Plant Hunting 2 vol. 1927
More Aristocrats of the Garden 1928
China - Maker of Gardens 1929
Aristocrats of the Trees 1930
The China Mother of Gardens is stated "to be
the most comprehensive authority and readable book on
China horticulture, botany and physical
characteristics" (Farrington, Edward I, Secretary,
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 1931).
In recognition of his service to horticulture he
received many awards such as the Victoria Medal of
Honor of the Royal Horticultural Society of London in
1912 and the Veitch Memorial Medal, The George Robert
White Memorial Medal of the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society. He was a fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received an honorary
M.A. degree from Harvard University and the D. Sc.
degree from Trinity College, Connecticut. Over 100
plants introduced by Wilson received the First-Class
Certificate or Awards of Merit of the Royal
Horticultural Society of London. Sixty species and
varieties of Chinese plants bear his name.
Unfortunately he was killed at Worcester,
Massachusetts, on October 15, 1930, when the
automobile in which he was riding skidded on a
slippery road and dropped 40 feet over an embankment.
Mrs. Wilson was killed in the same accident. His one
daughter is married to Dr. George L. Slate, pomologist
of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station at
Geneva, New York.
