Northcote Thomas Botanical Collections

Image Others

A composite image of three dried botanical herbarium specimens with taxonomic labels from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Herbarium specimens from Northcote Thomas's anthropological surveys in Southern Nigeria, held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

A photograph depicting a composite montage of three herbarium specimen sheets from the botanical collections of Northcote Thomas, curated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The first panel shows a specimen of Psychotria scindaphos from Ubulu, recorded as specimen number 2315. The second panel displays a specimen of Solanum from Hugo, recorded as number 2310, dated November 8, 1912. The third panel contains specimens identified as Omphalogonus calophylla and Omphalogonus nigrescens. These collections were gathered during Thomas's anthropological surveys in Southern Nigeria, primarily focusing on the medicinal uses of plants among indigenous populations. The images show advanced desiccation and pigment oxidation typical of herbarium preservation, accompanied by manuscript labels and institutional markings from Kew.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 12, 2026

Northcote Thomas undertook the collection of botanical specimens on his own initiative, as it fell outside the official remit of his anthropological surveys. He was specifically interested in the medicinal applications of plants among the populations he studied. These collections are currently a focus of the [Re:]Entanglements research project.

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 12, 2026

While the specimens are recorded under Thomas's name, he noted in correspondence that the collections were largely gathered by his junior interpreter. The identity of this individual remains unknown, reflecting colonial-era scientific practices where the contributions of indigenous or junior assistants were often omitted from formal records.

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 12, 2026

The scientific identification of the specimens at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was likely performed by John Hutchinson, an assistant in the Tropical Africa section. Hutchinson observed that many specimens were difficult to identify because they lacked the flowers or fruits necessary for precise taxonomic determination. Additionally, Arthur W. Hill, the Assistant Director at Kew, offered to purchase properly labeled specimens in good condition at a rate of £2 per 100 specimens.

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 12, 2026

In a letter dated May 11, 1911, addressed to Kew Director David Prain, Thomas apologized for the poor quality of some specimens. He attributed the degradation to severe weather conditions, including frequent tornadoes and persistent morning mist, which made it nearly impossible to keep the samples dry.