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Modern Library Gardening
The Land of the Blue Poppy: Travels of a Naturalist in Eastern Tibet
In 1911, Francis Kingdon Ward (1885–1958) set off on his first solo expedition and collected hundreds of plant species, many previously unknown. From Burma, he headed into the Hengduan Mountains of north-western Yunnan province, exploring along the Mekong, Yangtze and Salween rivers in the region between eastern Tibet and western Sichuan. In 2003, this area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the world's most biodiverse temperate zones, its extraordinary topography arises from its position at the collision point of tectonic plates. This fascinating book, first published in 1913, was one of the most popular by a prolific author. It is generously illustrated with Kingdon Ward's own photographs and maps from the trip. The blue poppy of the title is Meconopsis speciosa, which Kingdon Ward described as the 'Cambridge blue poppy'; rather than the famous 'Tibetan blue poppy' (Meconopsis betonicifolia) that he later brought to England.
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1913
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About the author
Frank Kingdon-Ward
29 books15 followersFrom Wikipedia
Francis Kingdon-Ward, born Francis Kingdon Ward (6 November 1885 in Manchester – 8 April 1958) was an English botanist, explorer, plant collector and author. He published most of his books as Frank Kingdon-Ward and this hyphenated form of his name stuck, becoming the surname of his wives and two daughters. It also became a nom-de-plume for his sister Winifred Mary Ward by default.
Son of Harry Marshall Ward and Selina Mary Ward, née Kingdon; he went on around 25 expeditions over a period of nearly fifty years, exploring Tibet, North Western China, Myanmar and Assam (now part of North Eastern India). In Myanmar he met and conducted some research into forestry and plants in the country with native botanist Chit Ko Ko.
Among his collections were the first viable seed of Meconopsis betonicifolia (Himalayan blue poppy, first discovered by Pére Delavay), Primula florindae (giant cowslip, named after his first wife Florinda, née Norman-Thompson) and Rhododendron wardii, a yellow flowered species.
A species of lizard, Calotes kingdonwardi, is named in his honor. He is also commemorated in Ward's trogon, Harpactes wardi.
He survived many accidents on his expeditions including being impaled on a bamboo spike, falling off a cliff (stopped by a tree growing from the cliff), lost for two days with no food, tent crushed by a tree in a storm, and he was close to the epicentre of an earthquake (registering 9.6 on the Richter magnitude scale) on 15 August 1950 during an expedition in Assam.
In addition to his professional activities as a botanist, in the 1930s Kingdon-Ward also served as a spy for the British India Office. In 1935, Kingdon-Ward was arrested by Tibetans after he crossed the Sela pass into the Tawang tract ( now Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh,India) despite being refused permission to do so by the Tibetan authorities who were then administering Tawang. Tibetans protested this violation of their border to the British mission then visiting Lhasa. Kingdon-Ward was quickly released, but this incident led the British to investigate the status of the border, and it was discovered that the entire Tawang tract had been ceded to British India by Tibet by the Simla Convention negotiated by Sir Henry McMahon with the Tibetans in 1914.
In 1923 he moved to Hatton Gore, a big house on the east side of Hatton Road, Hatton, London; the site of the house is now under the east end of London Heathrow Airport. He built there a big rockery looking like a bend in a river ravine in the Himalayas.[6] He sold the house due to a loss that he made running a plant nursery business.
He was married twice, first to Florinda Norman-Thompson on 11 April 1923; later, to Jean Macklin, on 12 November 1947, to whom he remained married until his death.
Florinda Kingdon-Ward had a brief political career which included standing as a Liberal Party candidate for Parliament at the 1950 UK General Election in Lewes.
Even towards the end of his career he was still active, his greatest "swansong" plant was probably Lilium mackliniae, found jointly with his second wife after whom it is named. At age 68 he climbed to over 1,730–2,590 metres (5,680–8,500 ft) above sea level in Ukhrul district of Manipur, India (It is located near the boundary of Myanmar to the east) and was still discovering new species of plants on his last expedition in 1956, including Roscoea australis, the most southerly representative of its genus.
Frank Kingdon-Ward died on 8 April 1958 aged 72. He had suffered a stroke and went into a coma from which he never recovered. He was buried in the churchyard at Grantchester.
Francis Kingdon-Ward, born Francis Kingdon Ward (6 November 1885 in Manchester – 8 April 1958) was an English botanist, explorer, plant collector and author. He published most of his books as Frank Kingdon-Ward and this hyphenated form of his name stuck, becoming the surname of his wives and two daughters. It also became a nom-de-plume for his sister Winifred Mary Ward by default.
Son of Harry Marshall Ward and Selina Mary Ward, née Kingdon; he went on around 25 expeditions over a period of nearly fifty years, exploring Tibet, North Western China, Myanmar and Assam (now part of North Eastern India). In Myanmar he met and conducted some research into forestry and plants in the country with native botanist Chit Ko Ko.
Among his collections were the first viable seed of Meconopsis betonicifolia (Himalayan blue poppy, first discovered by Pére Delavay), Primula florindae (giant cowslip, named after his first wife Florinda, née Norman-Thompson) and Rhododendron wardii, a yellow flowered species.
A species of lizard, Calotes kingdonwardi, is named in his honor. He is also commemorated in Ward's trogon, Harpactes wardi.
He survived many accidents on his expeditions including being impaled on a bamboo spike, falling off a cliff (stopped by a tree growing from the cliff), lost for two days with no food, tent crushed by a tree in a storm, and he was close to the epicentre of an earthquake (registering 9.6 on the Richter magnitude scale) on 15 August 1950 during an expedition in Assam.
In addition to his professional activities as a botanist, in the 1930s Kingdon-Ward also served as a spy for the British India Office. In 1935, Kingdon-Ward was arrested by Tibetans after he crossed the Sela pass into the Tawang tract ( now Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh,India) despite being refused permission to do so by the Tibetan authorities who were then administering Tawang. Tibetans protested this violation of their border to the British mission then visiting Lhasa. Kingdon-Ward was quickly released, but this incident led the British to investigate the status of the border, and it was discovered that the entire Tawang tract had been ceded to British India by Tibet by the Simla Convention negotiated by Sir Henry McMahon with the Tibetans in 1914.
In 1923 he moved to Hatton Gore, a big house on the east side of Hatton Road, Hatton, London; the site of the house is now under the east end of London Heathrow Airport. He built there a big rockery looking like a bend in a river ravine in the Himalayas.[6] He sold the house due to a loss that he made running a plant nursery business.
He was married twice, first to Florinda Norman-Thompson on 11 April 1923; later, to Jean Macklin, on 12 November 1947, to whom he remained married until his death.
Florinda Kingdon-Ward had a brief political career which included standing as a Liberal Party candidate for Parliament at the 1950 UK General Election in Lewes.
Even towards the end of his career he was still active, his greatest "swansong" plant was probably Lilium mackliniae, found jointly with his second wife after whom it is named. At age 68 he climbed to over 1,730–2,590 metres (5,680–8,500 ft) above sea level in Ukhrul district of Manipur, India (It is located near the boundary of Myanmar to the east) and was still discovering new species of plants on his last expedition in 1956, including Roscoea australis, the most southerly representative of its genus.
Frank Kingdon-Ward died on 8 April 1958 aged 72. He had suffered a stroke and went into a coma from which he never recovered. He was buried in the churchyard at Grantchester.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 27, 2016
A remarkable and excellent book. Kingdon-Ward made 24 [or 25] daring and it seems exhilarating, if occasionally terrifying, expeditions thru the Himalayas of Tibet, China, and southeast Asia in the early years of the 20th century. He was a plant hunter in search of new plant species/varieties for the ever plant hungry west. The eponymous blue poppy (Meconopsis) is mentioned only once, on pg 145. BP is a patched together book, chunks torn from thither and yon from KW's many other books by an editor, although it reads pretty smoothly. KW is an excellent writer who had more than the touch of a poet in him.
January 10, 2009
It's dangerous to ride a donkey after dark in Tibet.
November 3, 2019
I tried out this wonderfully nerdy nature book club sponsored by Scott Arborteum. The selection was one from the Modern Library Gardening Series curated by Michael Pollan. Frank Kingdon Ward is a plant hunter come to the Himalayas and beyond to discover and bring back interesting species for English gardens. Edited and stitched together willy-nilly from Ward’s various 1920’s and 30’s plant exploration journals, the flow is odd, but the effect is one of stunning beauty, exotic detail, endurance and anecdotal amusement.
As an aside, an interesting sociological aspect of this read was how the context of the cultural moment shaped FKW’s views and behaviors. There was an uncomfortableness at times in the posturing of position and oversimplified views of local people and women.
For some sadly, these perspectives haven’t much evolved. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but wonder what widely accepted norms of our times (and of myself personally) future generations might look upon us with discomfort and sadness.
As an aside, an interesting sociological aspect of this read was how the context of the cultural moment shaped FKW’s views and behaviors. There was an uncomfortableness at times in the posturing of position and oversimplified views of local people and women.
For some sadly, these perspectives haven’t much evolved. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but wonder what widely accepted norms of our times (and of myself personally) future generations might look upon us with discomfort and sadness.
April 29, 2024
I found this 1913 book about planthunter Kingdon Ward's journeys through Tibet and China to be surprisingly readable. It's a lot more dense than a modern travelogue would be, and there are some seriously dated attitudes, but overall, it's an engaging read.
The perils and hardships of those early botanical explorers are certainly brought home by his descriptions of the various treks to remote locations. There are numerous close shaves, including one incident where he is lost in the forest for a couple of days. While he does display the patronising attitude toward 'locals' that was so common among Westerners of his day, at the same time, he does attempt to show some respect to the indigenous people and their beliefs. He also seems to have been a kindly man - toward the end of a gruelling journey, he goes short of food to ensure that one of his servants, who is sick, gets the nourishment he needs. I suspect this would not have been normal behaviour among many travellers of that time who often seem very entitled in their attitude toward local guides and porters.
There are sections which consist largely of plant descriptions, so I would say this book probably has most appeal to botanists or gardeners with an interest in the history of planthunting. But it will also be of interest to anyone interested in travel diaries of the period.
The perils and hardships of those early botanical explorers are certainly brought home by his descriptions of the various treks to remote locations. There are numerous close shaves, including one incident where he is lost in the forest for a couple of days. While he does display the patronising attitude toward 'locals' that was so common among Westerners of his day, at the same time, he does attempt to show some respect to the indigenous people and their beliefs. He also seems to have been a kindly man - toward the end of a gruelling journey, he goes short of food to ensure that one of his servants, who is sick, gets the nourishment he needs. I suspect this would not have been normal behaviour among many travellers of that time who often seem very entitled in their attitude toward local guides and porters.
There are sections which consist largely of plant descriptions, so I would say this book probably has most appeal to botanists or gardeners with an interest in the history of planthunting. But it will also be of interest to anyone interested in travel diaries of the period.
May 31, 2020
Excerpts from the writings of Frank Kingdon-Ward, a botanical collector who was active in the early twentieth century, and had concentrated on Tibet, North Western China, Myanmar and northern India. While Kingdon-Ward wrote 25 books, Christopher has extracted a subset that is representative of his writings. The excerpts cover such aspects of his travels as the people and the logistics of travel, including food and accommodation.
Kingdon-Ward was primarily a collector whose intent was to obtain seeds of desirable plants such that they could be introduced back to England. His strategy is to search for plants through the growing season, but return to them in the autumn to collect the seeds. He notes that early snow is a tragedy as then seeds cannot be collected.
The chapter on Landscapes is particularly good, providing great descriptions of the wild. As an example, he notes that "Screes are the mountain's rubbish heap. the chips and splinters left over from the carving of the earth ...", but then goes on to say "But the high alpine screes are the home of some of the finest flowers imaginable."
Kingdon-Ward was primarily a collector whose intent was to obtain seeds of desirable plants such that they could be introduced back to England. His strategy is to search for plants through the growing season, but return to them in the autumn to collect the seeds. He notes that early snow is a tragedy as then seeds cannot be collected.
The chapter on Landscapes is particularly good, providing great descriptions of the wild. As an example, he notes that "Screes are the mountain's rubbish heap. the chips and splinters left over from the carving of the earth ...", but then goes on to say "But the high alpine screes are the home of some of the finest flowers imaginable."
February 4, 2024
What a great snapshot in time of an adventuring plant collector!
December 20, 2013
This book have an uncommon appearance as compared to standard or conventional paperbacks. It more closely resembles a diary.
In the far south eastern Tibet is the Yunan province where lies the world heritage site of "Three parallel rivers." Here three mighty asian rivers Salween, Mekong and Jin-sha the source tributary of Yangtze run roughly parallel to each other for a distance more than 300 kilometers. Along with three in further west in Burma runs Irrawaddy through deep gorges and river Tsangpo Brahmaputra as this enters India.
This book describes the authors journeys for plant seed collection starting from the banks of Irrawaddi in northern Burma through the valleys and mountains to Yangtze and return. This is the account of author's journeys in 1911-1912. This book is a good account of the flora and fauna of the regions and a comparison. The book deals in deeper with the geographic aspects for the changes in flora and fauna in the regions. But it is not a geography or botanical text either. The author puts a light on the people of the region, the tribals, their culture, their origin, the religion. This book is good account of the travels through a vast and rarely accessed country, the nature and the people.
This book however needs a good attention to read through unlike common simple travelogues. The reader should get absorbed into the book completely to get the original reward of a good reading.
The unabridged book also contains the survey maps and a good collection of black and white photographs of the traversed region.
In the far south eastern Tibet is the Yunan province where lies the world heritage site of "Three parallel rivers." Here three mighty asian rivers Salween, Mekong and Jin-sha the source tributary of Yangtze run roughly parallel to each other for a distance more than 300 kilometers. Along with three in further west in Burma runs Irrawaddy through deep gorges and river Tsangpo Brahmaputra as this enters India.
This book describes the authors journeys for plant seed collection starting from the banks of Irrawaddi in northern Burma through the valleys and mountains to Yangtze and return. This is the account of author's journeys in 1911-1912. This book is a good account of the flora and fauna of the regions and a comparison. The book deals in deeper with the geographic aspects for the changes in flora and fauna in the regions. But it is not a geography or botanical text either. The author puts a light on the people of the region, the tribals, their culture, their origin, the religion. This book is good account of the travels through a vast and rarely accessed country, the nature and the people.
This book however needs a good attention to read through unlike common simple travelogues. The reader should get absorbed into the book completely to get the original reward of a good reading.
The unabridged book also contains the survey maps and a good collection of black and white photographs of the traversed region.
June 8, 2021
I enjoy early travelogues, and this one shows how far people have come from consumers of other cultures to actually engaging. It really brought his scientific credibility down a notch or 100 when he went into detail about whether he found the local women in each place he visited attractive or not.
The botany and descriptions of the locations were very interesting though, and I had my phone at the ready looking up plant species the whole time. It would be very neat to have an integrated copy of this where the pictures popped up in kindle when you click on them.
The botany and descriptions of the locations were very interesting though, and I had my phone at the ready looking up plant species the whole time. It would be very neat to have an integrated copy of this where the pictures popped up in kindle when you click on them.
July 25, 2024
Der Autor ist zu Zeiten der chinesischen Revolution 1911/12 in Südchina und Osttibet herumgereist, vor allem um die lokale Flora zu erforschen und Samen für westliche botanische Gärten zu sammeln.
In meiner Taschenbuchversion von 1941 sind leider keine der Karten und Zeichnungen enthalten.
Es ist auf jeden Fall ein sehr kurzweiliger Reisebericht mit Fokus auf der lokalen Pflanzenwelt, gegen Ende mit zunehmenden Wirren des sich ausbreitenden Konflikts.
In meiner Taschenbuchversion von 1941 sind leider keine der Karten und Zeichnungen enthalten.
Es ist auf jeden Fall ein sehr kurzweiliger Reisebericht mit Fokus auf der lokalen Pflanzenwelt, gegen Ende mit zunehmenden Wirren des sich ausbreitenden Konflikts.
June 30, 2011
So many of our beautiful landscape plants have a Chinese or Asian origin. Here is the story of a fellow who made a living traveling to far away places to collect seeds, sometimes at grave personal risk. Excellent read for plant lover like me.
February 24, 2016
Like reading a crazy journal
A well written very descriptive accounting of an explorers flower species passion, ignited with many stories and tales of how to survive in the wild and wooly mountains.
A well written very descriptive accounting of an explorers flower species passion, ignited with many stories and tales of how to survive in the wild and wooly mountains.
June 24, 2018
The second of Kingdon-Wards traveling, plant-hunting, just plain old adventuring books, and a delight at that.
October 16, 2014
Very cool
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews