Harvey, William Henry (1811 - 1866)

Born Summerville, Limerick, Ireland, 5 Feb. 1811; died Torquay, Devon, England, 15 May 1866 [tuberculosis]

Dublin. Botanist, algologist, botanical artist, illustrator and lithographer. Illustrated his own work, Phycologia Australica (1858-1863).

Colonial Treasurer, in Cape Town, 1836-39; Keeper of Herbarium, Trinity College, Dublin 1844, Chair of Botany, Royal Dublin Soc. & superintendent (?) of Glasnevin Bot. Garden 1848, Professor of Botany, Trinity College, 1856, holding all positions until his death.

Visited Australia late 1854-55: based at Albany, WA, 7 Jan.-2 Apr.; visited Cape Riche 27-29 Mar.; in Perth 13 Apr.-24 July including visits to Rottnest (c. 22 May), Garden and Carnac Is. (16 000 specimens, 352 spp. incl. 6 new genera in WA); departed Albany 29 Aug., arrived Melbourne, Vic, 5 Sept.; collected at Port Fairy (1-15 Oct.), Brighton (to c. 17 Nov.), Geelong & Port Phillip Heads (22 Nov.-7 Dec), Western Port inch Phillip Is. (9-28 Dec); to George Town, Tas. (mid-Jan.-25 Feb. 1855), Deloraine (14 Feb.), Hobart, Port Arthur (c. 1-13 Mar.), Mt Wellington (19 Mar.), Launceston (21 Mar.); returned to Melbourne 20 Apr.; to Sydney c. 1-16 May, including visit to Newcastle (17 May-June); departed for N.Z. c. 6 June.

Wrote several papers on Australian algae, Nereis Australis (1847-49), Phycologia Australica (1858-63) & many other works (full bibliography in E.C.Nelson & J.Parnell, Arch. Nat. Hist. 29: 213-244, 2002).

Specimens at AK, BEL, BM, BOL, CGE, DBN, DS, DWC (algae), E, GH, MEL, NSW, PERTH, S, TCD (algae, including his Travelling Sets), WELT; also 2 bounds sets at Mitchell Library, Sydney.

Sent many packets of seed to Glasnevin Bot. Garden, 1854-63.

Commemorated in Acacia, Caulerpa, Sarcopetalum, Seseli, Verticordia.

Obituary: Gard. Chron. 1866: 537-538.

References: S.C.Ducker The Contented Botanist (1988); H.Hewson Australia - 300 Years of Botanical Illustration (1999)
Main Source: George, A.S. (2009) Australian Botanist's Companion, Four Gables Press, WA. [consult for source references]

Example of artwork: Jeannerettia lobata, Dichotomaria marginata (algae)

Link to Harvey's Phycologia Australica online: http://www.phycology.ugent.be/harvey/

AVH map of collecting locations for Harvey, W.H. (24.01.2014)