A Box of Botanicals: Zaccheus Collins and His Living Gifts to Jacob Bigelow
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
October 11, 1818
Dearest reader,
On this day, Zaccheus Collins, an esteemed botanist and dedicated plant collector from Philadelphia, was born.
His life’s work was largely centered around the collection and preservation of plants from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey vicinity, which he amassed into one of the most comprehensive herbaria of his time.
Despite never publishing any works himself, Collins’s botanical influence was felt through his extensive correspondence with notable botanists, including Henry Muhlenberg, Stephen Elliott, Jacob Bigelow, and William Baldwin, among others.
In a letter dated this day, Collins described a shipment from Boston, sent via the schooner Hero, containing a treasure trove of live plants—Virginia snakeroot, American ipecac, Bowman's root, and the wild sweet potato vine—all under the guidance of the legendary Mr. Bartram, the father of American botany. His correspondence reveals a network of botanical camaraderie and the eagerness to exchange specimens essential for understanding and cataloging American flora.
Though Collins never published, his botanical legacy lives on through the vast herbarium he built—containing specimens from across the southern states—and through the recognition of colleagues who valued his expertise and extensive knowledge. In fact, the genus Collinsia is named after him, an enduring tribute in the botanical world. His story is a testament to the importance of diligent collection, meticulous record-keeping, and lifelong passion for discovery—pillars that support our understanding of the natural world to this very day.
Dear reader, as you observe the diverse flora in your garden or in the wild, consider the silent but vital work of collectors like Zaccheus Collins.
How many unseen treasures lie waiting in the quiet corners of our landscapes?
And how does the history of such dedicated naturalists inspire us to keep exploring, preserving, and celebrating the beauty and complexity of plant life?
