Countries
West African Islands: Canary IslandsChinese region: ChinaMalesian region: IndonesiaJapanese region: North Korea, South KoreaSouthern Africa: South AfricaIndo-China: VietnamAtlantic region: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Associate(s)
Cuninghame, James (synonym)
East India Company (1600-1873) (employee)
Petiver, James (1658-1718)
Plukenet, Leonard (1642-1706)
Ray, John (1627-1705)
Sloane, Hans (1660-1753) (specimens to)
Biography
Scottish surgeon and naturalist who was a physician in the employ of the East India Company at their factory on the island of Chusan (Zhoushan Archipelago, Zhejiang province). He also worked at Amoy (Xiamen, Fujian). James Cunningham (or Cuninghame) has the distinction of being the first European to bring a botanical collection safely back from China and his collection is therefore rich in type material. Cunningham collected mainly in coastal localities around Chusan, but also at many other ports of call during his voyages. He accompanied the collection back to England (1709) but died on the voyage.
The Royal Society's James Petiver received Cunningham's material, publishing many new species based on this collection. Included in his works on Cunningham's material was the first printed illustration (1702) of Camellia japonica. Petiver's collections were acquired by Hans Sloane whose own herbarium became part of the founding collections of the British Museum, and Cunningham's original specimens are now at the Natural History Museum (BM-SL) in London and his manuscripts at the British Library.
Sources:
E. Bretschneider, 1898, History of European Botanical Discoveries In China: 31
E.H.M. Cox, 1945, Plant Hunting in China: 39-42.
References
Dandy, J.E., Sloane Herb. (1958): 117; Gunn, M. & Codd, L.E. Bot. Explor. S. Afr. (1981): 126; Lanjouw, J. & Stafleu, F.A., Index Herb. Coll. A-D (1954): 147; Murray, G.R.M., Hist. Coll. Nat. Hist. Dep. Brit. Mus. (1904): 81, 142;
