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May. 17th, 2012
Wow, what an interesting set of things that were named after him.
What got me going on this theme was discovering large numbers of Calochortis Tolmiei on a ridge above our property:
This species was named for the botanist, fur trader, surgeon, and politician William Fraser Tolmie:
His son, Simon Fraser Tolmie, was the 21st premier of British Columbia:
Woof.
He also gave us the generic name for the piggyback plant, Tolmiea menziesii, which is the first plant I ever cultivated. So I have a certain romantic attachment to it. Here's a photo I took of one in Stanley Park in April, 2010:
He discovered a new saxifrage near Mt. Ranier, Saxifraga tolmiei:
At the time, this was a new species in a group of saxifrages I happen to find completely adorable. I once collected some specimens of a very similar species from Vancouver Island and grew them in pots with great success.
Finally, there is Tolmie Street, in Vancouver, where I have never set foot. But from the looks of it on Google, it's a lovely neighborhood.
That's quite an aesthetically pleasing legacy, don't you think?
What got me going on this theme was discovering large numbers of Calochortis Tolmiei on a ridge above our property:
This species was named for the botanist, fur trader, surgeon, and politician William Fraser Tolmie:
His son, Simon Fraser Tolmie, was the 21st premier of British Columbia:
Woof.
He also gave us the generic name for the piggyback plant, Tolmiea menziesii, which is the first plant I ever cultivated. So I have a certain romantic attachment to it. Here's a photo I took of one in Stanley Park in April, 2010:
He discovered a new saxifrage near Mt. Ranier, Saxifraga tolmiei:
At the time, this was a new species in a group of saxifrages I happen to find completely adorable. I once collected some specimens of a very similar species from Vancouver Island and grew them in pots with great success.
Finally, there is Tolmie Street, in Vancouver, where I have never set foot. But from the looks of it on Google, it's a lovely neighborhood.
That's quite an aesthetically pleasing legacy, don't you think?