collecties
introduction collections Clifford Linnaeus Hortus Cliffortianus ornamentations literature who is who links thanks 
The origin of the Clifford collections
It is not know when Clifford started collecting for a herbarium. The collections that Linnaeus found had different origins. From the beginning the garden at 'de Hartecamp' had strong ties with the botanic gardens from Leiden and Amsterdam, through Johan Hinlopen, and many plants were obtained through them. A large part of the Clifford collection came from the garden at de Hartecamp.
George Clifford was part of a large, international network of people with amateur or professional interest in the natural world. Through people such as Boerhaave and Burman many exotic plants came into his possession. Exchange of dried plants also took place this way.
In the introduction of the Hortus Cliffortianus, Linnaeus gave the following sources in this order:
Boerhaave: many plants; Clifford also reciprocated by contributing to the collections of Boerhaave. In Index Seminum Satorum (1712-1727) 42 species are described as such (Heniger, 1971).
A. van Royen: many plants, primarily from Europe.
Siegesbeck: for his Russian plants;
Haller: alpine plants;
Burman: seeds of plants from the East Indies;
Röell: Stone plants and seeds from Africa;
Gronovius: plants and seeds from Virginia;
Miller: plants and many seeds from South America.
A number of collectors appear in the herbarium, but Linnaeus did not mentione them by name. Most probably these are additions from after the publication of the Hortus Cliffortianus although the majority of the collections will have been seen by Linnaeus.
Osmunda frondibus pinnatis – from Vaillant
Lantana 1 ‘Ds Amman ex Anglia misit 1730’ – from Amman
Pteris 6 ‘Ex nova Anglia attulit Dr. Du Bois 1736” – from Du Bois
J.D.V. Portz his natural history cabinet was sold in Amsterdam on 18 March 1754. Some of his collections are part of the Clifford collection in Londen.
There is also mention of an anonymous collector ‘ex Surinama 1736’, most probably Isaac Eleazar Augar, a doctor in the hospital at Paramaribo from 1734-1737. In addition another anonymous collector ‘Bahama’, who was most probably Mark Catesby (1682-1749).
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The annotations
In the collections many annotations can be found on the labels. The annotations use the nomenclature and species numbering of Herman Boerhaave’s Index Alter Plantarum (1719). The Clifford Herbarium used this systematic ordering before Linnaeus introduced his own ordering in 1735-1737 (Wijnands & Heniger, 1991). Based on this it is assumed that the initial collection originated from the period 1720-1735. This assumptions is also supported by the water marks present in the herbariumsheets. The collection also contains many later additions with annotations written in the same hand as those found in the herbarium sheets bearing Boerhaave’s nomenclature. Amongst these were collections of very early introductions from Australia most likely provided by Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) (Wijnands, 1993). Sometimes annotations can also be found on small strips of paper which have been stuck over the base of the plant. Some specimens have only the name and serial number from the Index Alter Plantarum. This old numbering system, in the bottom left hand corner, is often struck out. The new numbering system, also in the bottom left hand corner, has not yet been traced.
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Writing on the collections
On the collections in Wageningen mostly the hand of Clifford, Valckenier Suringar and Wijnands can be found (pencil).
A few collections are based in the van Royen collection in Leiden. Those collections bear mainly the hand of Clifford, A. van Royen and (later) D. van Royen.
The collections that are based at the Natural History Museum, Londen show many more hands: Clifford, Linnaeus, A. van Royen, Gronovius, Miller, Burman, D. van Royen, von Haller and Boerhaave.
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Scientific importance of the collections
The collections as mentioned in the Hortus Cliffortianus are of utmost importance with regard to the typification of names used in the Species Plantarum. Many of those plants in the Clifford collections are thus type specimens. See also >
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What subsequently happened to the George Clifford collections?
At the time of Clifford’s death, in 1760, there was no catalogue detailing the collections and we have no idea about the size of the legacy of the Clifford collections. Clifford did give Linnaeus a set of duplicates (± 120 specimens) on his departure but the majority of the herbarium was bought by Sir Joseph Banks in 1792. The Leiden botanist, Sebald Justinus Brugmans (1763-1819) organised the purchase for Banks in the Netherlands dealing directly with the family who at that time were already living in Dalfsen. This part of the collection formed part of the Department of Botany in the British Museum of Natural History, now the Natural History Museum, in London. The collection can be accessed through (link).
The duplicates in Linnaeus's possession had their beautiful ornamentations removed because the material would otherwise not have fitted into Linnaeus's herbarium cabinet (Müller-Wille, 2006). This material can still be found in the original cabinet at the Linnean Society, London. For an example of such a collection, click here.
Some of Clifford’s collections of can also be found in Oxford , where they now form part of the William Sherard (1659-1728) herbarium and were already in England before Linnaeus arrived at de Hartekamp.
A single Clifford specimen can be found in Burman’s herbarium in Geneva.
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Questions concerning the collection
Why part of the collection remains in the Netherlands is not know. Possibly this portion was first in Leiden and then entered the possession of Professor W.F.R. Suringar, the then director of the Leiden herbarium, and thereafter went to his son J. Valckenier Suringar. Many annotations on the collections in Wageningen were written by Valkenier Suringar. In Leiden there are some specimens, most of which have been annotated by Adriaan van Royen and (later) David van Royen.
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