English soldier and botanist, educated at Tonbridge School, who joined the Bengal Army at the age of 20. In the Jaintea war (1862-1863) he was badly wounded in the ankle, leaving him with an iron support and some difficulty in walking for the rest of his life. Yet he travelled extensively in India, Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar), briefly acting as Chief Commissioner of Assam (1891) before retiring form the Army (1893). During his many years of active service he developed an interest in botany (1877-), collecting preserved specimens and living plants which he introduced to England. Introductions include Rosa gigantea, the largest single-flowered rose species, and the giant burmese honeysuckle, Lonicera hildebrandtiana Collett & Hemsl. He was a founder member of the Simla Naturalists' Society (1885) and wrote a brief flora of the area with the assistance of W.B. Hemsley. The name of Sir Henry Collett is commemorated in the genus Neocolletia Hemsl. and many species including Cirrhopetalum collettii Hemsl., Iris collettii Hook. f. and Pedicularis collettii Prain. His herbarium was donated by his family to K.