James Bowie

The plant that was described as Clivia nobilis by Sir William Hooker was one (of probably several) collected by James Bowie in approximately 1822 near Quagga flats, close to the Fish River.

James Bowie was born in London around 1790 as the son of a seed merchant. In 1810 he joined the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew. He trained in horticulture and plant collecting under the then superintendent, William T Aiton. Around 1814 he was sent to Brazil to collect plants and seeds for RBG. In November 1816, at the age of about 26, he arrived at the Cape as professional plant collector.

Bowie spent seven years at the southern tip of Africa, and was recalled to London in 1823 after the government grant for Kew was drastically reduced in 1822. Bowie could not settle down in London, and returned independently to the Cape in 1827. Bowie complained that officers in the army, stationed in the Cape, were using troops to collect for them.

James Bowie apparently developed a drinking problem, probably during his first stint in the Cape. After a while he started to work as Garden Superintendent and plant collector for Baron van Ludwig. By 1842 he was working on his own again, mainly collecting for von Ludwig.

H. M. Arderne then employed him, most probably at the Arderne Gardens in Claremont towards the end of his life. He died in 1869 without ever getting married.