Labour of leaf
Family of late botanist complete his 25-year work
WHEN amateur botanist Peter Macpherson died, it was feared his 25-year labour of love would be lost with him.
He dedicated his retirement to collecting and recording rare botanical finds in central Scotland to share in his own book.
But after covering a geographical area of 885 square miles, the 89year-old passed away last year before his monumental task could be completed.
Now his daughters have ensured their father’s efforts were not in vain – by finishing and publishing his 400-page work.
Dr Macpherson began writing The Flora of Lanarkshire when he retired from his job as a consultant neuro-radiologist in 1990.
Based on several thousand hours of field work across landscapes including valleys, farmyards and cities, the book records and analyses 2,058 different plants.
His research reveals 745 types of botanical life never before seen in county records stretching back 200 years. Remarkably, 66 of these plants are new to Scotland and 33 previously unknown in Britain.
Among his discoveries were Persicaria runcinata and the alpine bistort – both herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family.
Dr Macpherson had approached a publisher with a draft of his book but died before he could see it through. The task then fell to his three daughters, who were determined to ensure his work got the recognition it deserved in print.
Tonight Elspeth Lindsay, Lorna Macpherson and Barbara Uttamchandani will stand alongside other family members at the book launch at the University of Glasgow.
Dr Lindsay, 59, also a consultant neuro-radiologist, said: ‘There is huge sadness for us that he didn’t live to see the book published.
‘But we are proud that we managed to push it through because it meant so much to him.’
Her sister Dr Macpherson, 57, said: ‘He started to become interested in botany from a young age when he grew up in the Argyll countryside. Even as a doctor he would go out on his lunch break to find plants. We are delighted to be publishing it, though it is bittersweet since it would have been nice for him to see it in print.’
The book retells some of his most humorous encounters. In one, the doctor writes of going on a botany hunt still in his white coat at a steelworks next to the hospital – where he was confronted by a security guard who feared he was a pathologist looking for a body.
Keith Watson, co-author with Dr Macpherson on a previous book on flora and curator of botany at Glasgow Museums, said: ‘Peter wasn’t a professional botanist but he would know straight away if he saw a plant that was new. He has made a really valuable contribution.’