Robert Fortune
Scottish botanist, plant hunter and traveller
🗓️ 13 April 1880
Robert Fortune was a Scottish botanist, plant hunter and traveller, best known for introducing around 250 new ornamental plants, mainly from China, but also Japan, into the gardens of Britain, Australia, and North America. He also played a role in the development of the tea industry in India in the 19th century. He also imported Japanese chestnuts into the United States, which led to the introduction of chestnut blight to the country 24 years after his death.
