Biography

Physician and naturalist born at Drammen near Oslo, Norway at a time when this region was ruled by Denmark. He was educated at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and appointed Professor of Botany and Land Economy (1814) at the University of Christiania (Oslo). In the same year he inherited money that allowed him to begin his travels. In England he met Joseph Banks and was engaged as a plant collector for him. Also in England, he met the German botanist C.L. von Buch and the two planned a pioneering Macaronesian expedition to the Canary Islands (1815), stopping briefly on their journey in Madeira. Smith was responsible for the new botanic garden in Oslo and collected seeds as well as plant specimens during this expedition, from which many taxa new to science were described. In 1816 he undertook a final expedition to the Congo under J.H. Tuckey, accompanied by another of Banks' gardeners, David Lockhart. Smith and most of the crew of this fateful expedition died in Africa but Lockhart brought back a collection of plants for Banks. This material was subsequently bequeathed to Robert Brown in 1820 and became part of the collections at BM in 1827. The genus Christiana DC., based on a collection from Congo by Christen Smith, was named in his honour but the spelling is not readily attributable due to the interpretation of his first name. Not to be confused with Christopher Smith (-1807) who also collected for Joseph Banks.

Biography

Physician and naturalist born at Drammen near Oslo, Norway at a time when this region was ruled by Denmark. He was educated at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and appointed Professor of Botany and Land Economy (1814) at the University of Christiania (Oslo). In the same year he inherited money that allowed him to begin his travels. In England he met Joseph Banks and was engaged as a plant collector for him. Also in England, he met the German botanist C.L. von Buch and the two planned a pioneering Macaronesian expedition to the Canary Islands (1815), stopping briefly on their journey in Madeira. Smith was responsible for the new botanic garden in Oslo and collected seeds as well as plant specimens during this expedition, from which many taxa new to science were described. In 1816 he undertook a final expedition to the Congo under J.H. Tuckey, accompanied by another of Banks' gardeners, David Lockhart. Smith and most of the crew of this fateful expedition died in Africa but Lockhart brought back a collection of plants for Banks. This material was subsequently bequeathed to Robert Brown in 1820 and became part of the collections at BM in 1827. The genus Christiana DC., based on a collection from Congo by Christen Smith, was named in his honour but the spelling is not readily attributable due to the interpretation of his first name. Not to be confused with Christopher Smith (-1807) who also collected for Joseph Banks.

Biography

Physician and naturalist born at Drammen near Oslo, Norway at a time when this region was ruled by Denmark. He was educated at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and appointed Professor of Botany and Land Economy (1814) at the University of Christiania (Oslo). In the same year he inherited money that allowed him to begin his travels. In England he met Joseph Banks and was engaged as a plant collector for him. Also in England, he met the German botanist C.L. von Buch and the two planned a pioneering Macaronesian expedition to the Canary Islands (1815), stopping briefly on their journey in Madeira. Smith was responsible for the new botanic garden in Oslo and collected seeds as well as plant specimens during this expedition, from which many taxa new to science were described. In 1816 he undertook a final expedition to the Congo under J.H. Tuckey, accompanied by another of Banks' gardeners, David Lockhart. Smith and most of the crew of this fateful expedition died in Africa but Lockhart brought back a collection of plants for Banks. This material was subsequently bequeathed to Robert Brown in 1820 and became part of the collections at BM in 1827. The genus Christiana DC., based on a collection from Congo by Christen Smith, was named in his honour but the spelling is not readily attributable due to the interpretation of his first name. Not to be confused with Christopher Smith (-1807) who also collected for Joseph Banks.