Date of Birth - 1817

After studying medicine at Aberdeen, Lyall went on a voyage to Greenland on a whaling boat as the surgeon. He entered the Royal Navy in 1839 and was immediately appointed for service under Sir James Ross on an expedition to the Antarctic Regions. As assistant surgeon he had to make botanical collections.

In 1842 he returned with a herbarium of 1500 species including a collection of algae. His next appointment was in the Mediterranean, then W. Hooker selected him as the surgeon and naturalist on the survey of the coast of New Zealand. He made an extensive herbarium, especially on the lower plants. Among the discoveries was the gigantic white flowered Ranunculus lyallii.

1852 he was appointed surgeon and naturalist to the Arctic Regions and made good collections at every port. After a short period of home service, Lyall was commissioned to join a surveying ship for the delimitation of the sea boundary between Britain and the United States in the Pacific.

1858 he was transferred to the Land Boundary Commission surveying the boundary between British Columbia and USA. During this post he travelled from the Gulf of Georgia to the summit of the Rocky Mountains and was able to make a large herbarium. On his return he was recommended to receive a position which allowed him to stay at Kew. He spent some time writing his account of the vegetation zones from the sea to 8000 feet in the Rocky Mountains - the first account of its kind.
He retired in 1873.

Countries visited: Antarctic Regions, New Zealand, Artic Regions, Canada and USA

Awards: FLS 1862

David Lyall Main Plant Introductions:

• Anemone lyallii
• Astelia nervosa
• Celmisia spectabilis
• Celmisia verbascifolia
• Fuchsia procumbens
• Hebe elliptica
• Hebe pimeleoides
• Hebe speciosa
• Hoheria laylii
• Larix lyallii.
• Parahebe lyallii.
• Phormium tenax
• Pittosporum tenuifolium
• Ranunculus lyallii.