Publisher's Synopsis
Charles Samuel Pollock Parish (1822-97) served as a chaplain with the armies of the Honourable East India Company until 1858, after which he served, in the same capacity, in British Imperial India, which included Burma (now Myanmar). He was based at Moulmein in Burma from 1852 until 1878. For the first time a detailed account of his life and time in Burma is provided, together with some of his original sketches of Moulmein and the surrounding country. He discovered many new species during his travels in Tenasserim and undertook an important expedition into the interior of the little-known region. Parish and his wife, Eleanor, were talented artists and painted most of their discoveries. The scientific importance of their work is considerable, they illustrated many novelties and, in effect, their paintings and drawings are of the type collections of dozens of orchid species. The original illustrations of the orchids of Burmese Tenasserim have been kept in the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, since Parish's death. This Ray Society volume will, for the first time, make them available to a wider audience, together with an up-to-date taxonomic treatment. A little-known account of Parish's most significant expedition is also provided, together with his itinerary and a map.
About the author
Dudley Clayton is a retired Group Captain who served in the Royal Air Force from 1952 until 1987. He is an Honorary Research Associate at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he specializes in the systematics of Asiatic orchids. His previous publications include The Genus Coelogyne: A Synopsis (2001), a monograph of the genus, and The Genus Calanthe (2013), a revision of the genus co-authored with Phillip Cribb.
