author
Charles Baron Clarke
1832–1906
A Victorian botanist who balanced a career in British India’s education service with a deep commitment to plant science, he became especially known for his work on the flora of India and the sedge family, Cyperaceae. His travels and collecting helped build an enduring record of South Asian plant life.
1 Audiobook
Speculations from Political Economy
by Charles Baron Clarke
About the author
Born in Andover, Hampshire, on 17 June 1832, he studied at King's College School in London and later at Trinity and Queens' Colleges, Cambridge. He first trained in law and was called to the bar, but his career soon took a different path when he joined the education service in British India.
While working in Bengal, he traveled widely through regions including Bengal, Assam, Kashmir, Nepal, and Bhutan, collecting plants and studying local flora. He also served as superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Gardens from 1869 to 1871, and over time became a leading specialist in Cyperaceae, the sedge family.
His botanical work earned major recognition: he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1882 and later served as president of the Linnean Society from 1894 to 1896. In his later years he worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and he died on 25 August 1906.