Date of Birth - c1793

Drummond took over the nursery of George Don at Doo Hillock around 1814 after Don died and his sons were too young to carry on the business. He spent 2 years in Canada as botanist with Sir John Franklin’s 2nd Arctic expedition. While in Canada Drummond had somehow received a box of Douglas’ specimens - saving many of them by changing damp papers - Douglas didn’t like the idea at first of another botanist seeing his collection - but Drummond was trustworthy and openly shared his information. While Douglas was exploring in British Columbia and California Drummond was in Texas.

He was made the curator of Belfast Botanic Garden but left in 1831 to become an independent plant collector. He became sponsored by Glasgow and Edinburgh Botanic Gardens and private subscribers who were to receive plant specimens at the modest rate of £2 a hundred.

In 1831 he arrived in New York. His first two seasons were spent collecting mainly in the Ohio valley and south eastern states. He sent occasional consignments of specimens, seeds and shells to Hooker . 1832 he made excursions from New Orleans on the Red River and by Lake Ponchartrain to Louisiana. He finally reached Texas in 1833 which was bad timing - there were floods, political troubles and a cholera epidemic. He took a ship from New Orleans to the mouth of the River Brazos to explore the coast. His £2 a hundred were hard earned - he caught cholera and barely recovered, almost starved twice and suffered a badly ulcerated leg. Despite these setbacks he remained optimistic and was able to send home a hundred species of plants, birds, snakes, shells and seeds. The plants included two Coreopsis sp and Oenothera drummondii.

In Spring 1834 he made his way up the Brazos River even though transport and provisions were in short supply due to crop failures. He missed joining a survey party which was heading into the interior - all were killed by native Americans. In the Autumn he came down with his 3rd serious illness and became very homesick. He applied for a grant for land in Texas which was in reach of the still unexplored mountains in New Mexico. He planned to return home before the end of 1835 and bring his family out to settle.
In January 1835 he set off by sea to Apalachicola, then onto Cuba in February intending to go to Key West and north to Florida. Dr Hooker received 3 boxes in June - no plants just the remains of Drummond’s scanty possessions followed by a letter from Havana dated 11 March 1835 enclosing Drummond's death certificate.

Nothing more is known of Drummond’s death and many beautiful Texan plants he discovered have proved difficult in cultivation - apart from colourful and brilliant annual phlox, Phlox drummonii.

Countries visited: N. America, Canada

Awards: ALS 1830

Thomas Drummond Main Plant Introductions:
Herbertia drummondiana, Eustoma nissilianum, Callirhoe papaver, Serracenia psittacina all proved difficult to cultivate in Britain. Phlox drummondii will keep Drummond’s name alive forever.

• Acer rubrum
• Acer saccharinum
• Ceonothus americanus
• Helianthemum scoparium
• Hypericum micranthum
• Hypericum nudiflorum
• Hypericum paludosum
• Hypericum punctatum
• Hypericum virginicum
• Ilex angustifoli