John Bartram: America's First Botanist

Abstract

John Bartram (1699 – 1777) was born in Darby, PA. He was a Quaker farmer turned botanist. He journeyed throughout eastern North America, from Canada to Florida, and described the plant and animal life he encountered. Bartram corresponded with and sent seeds of native plants to European scientists and gardeners. He was appointed the “Royal Botanist” by King George III, and along with Benjamin Franklin he was a founding member of the American Philosophical Society. Carl Linnaeus said he was the “greatest natural botanist in the world”. Bartram purchased a farm in Philadelphia and started the first botanical garden in America, where he planted many of the specimens he collected on his trips. He collected apple cultivars and, like most farms, had a cider press. Part of the farm (Bartram’s Garden) is currently preserved by the city of Philadelphia. His son, William Bartram, continued to explore the southeastern North America and described the Native Americans and the native plants and animals he encountered.