Charles Wright (botanist)
Encyclopedia
Charles Wright was an American
botanist.
Wright was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut
, the son of James Wright and Mary née Goodrich. He studied classics and mathematics at Yale
, and in October 1835 moved to Natchez, Mississippi
to tutor a plantation owner's family. His employer's business failed two years later, and he moved to Texas
, working as a land surveyor and teacher. During this time he collected plants for Asa Gray
. In 1849 he joined an army expedition through Texas, botanising from Galveston to San Antonio and then on to El Paso
. In the spring of 1851 he joined the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey
. His collections from these two trips form the basis of Gray's Plantae Wrightianae (1852-53).
Between 1853 and 1856 he took part in the Rodgers
-Ringgold North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition
, collecting plants in Madeira
, Cape Verde
, Cape Town
, Sydney
, Hong Kong
, the Bonin Islands, Japan
and the western side of the Bering Strait
. Wright left the expedition at San Francisco in February 1856 and went south to Nicaragua
. His collection of plants from Hong Kong was used by George Bentham
for his Flora Hongkongensis (1861).
Between 1856 to 1867 he led a scientific expedition to Cuba
. In 1859 he joined Juan Gundlach
in the area around Monteverde, and in the winter of 1861-62 they explored together around Cárdenas
.
He is commemorated in the names of a number of plants, including Datura wrightii
, the genus Carlowrightia
(wrightworts), and in the name of the Grey Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
botanist.
Wright was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name Weathersfield, while Native Americans called it Pyquag...
, the son of James Wright and Mary née Goodrich. He studied classics and mathematics at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, and in October 1835 moved to Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
to tutor a plantation owner's family. His employer's business failed two years later, and he moved to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, working as a land surveyor and teacher. During this time he collected plants for Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
. In 1849 he joined an army expedition through Texas, botanising from Galveston to San Antonio and then on to El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. In the spring of 1851 he joined the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey
United States and Mexican Boundary Survey
The United States and Mexican Boundary Survey set the boundary between the United States and Mexico according to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War. The results of the survey were published in a three-volume work, Report on the United States and Mexican boundary...
. His collections from these two trips form the basis of Gray's Plantae Wrightianae (1852-53).
Between 1853 and 1856 he took part in the Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, Civil War)
John Rodgers was an admiral in the United States Navy.-Early life and career:Rodgers, a son of Commodore John Rodgers, was born near Havre de Grace, Maryland. He received his appointment as a Midshipman in the Navy on 18 April 1828...
-Ringgold North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition
North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition
The North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition, also known as the Rodgers-Ringgold Expedition was a United States scientific and exploring project from 1853 to 1856....
, collecting plants in Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the Bonin Islands, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the western side of the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
. Wright left the expedition at San Francisco in February 1856 and went south to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. His collection of plants from Hong Kong was used by George Bentham
George Bentham
George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
for his Flora Hongkongensis (1861).
Between 1856 to 1867 he led a scientific expedition to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. In 1859 he joined Juan Gundlach
Juan Gundlach
Juan Cristóbal Gundlach , born Johannes Christoph Gundlach was a Cuban naturalist and taxonomist.-Biography:...
in the area around Monteverde, and in the winter of 1861-62 they explored together around Cárdenas
Cárdenas, Matanzas, Cuba
Cárdenas is a municipality and city in the Matanzas Province of Cuba, about east of Havana.-Geography:Cárdenas is a maritime port town on the level and somewhat marshy shore of a spacious bay of the northern coast of the island , sheltered by a long promontory...
.
He is commemorated in the names of a number of plants, including Datura wrightii
Datura wrightii
Datura wrightii or Sacred Datura is the name of a poisonous perennial plant and ornamental flower of southwestern North America. It is sometimes used as a hallucinogen. Datura wrightii is classified as a deliriant and an anticholinergic....
, the genus Carlowrightia
Carlowrightia
Carlowrightia is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. Members of the genus, commonly known as wrightworts, are mainly small shrubs bearing inflorescences of lily-like flowers. They are native to the Americas, with many species found in western North America...
(wrightworts), and in the name of the Grey Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii.