Henry Fletcher Hance

Henry Fletcher Hance

Henry Fletcher Hance (4 Aug 1827 – 22 June 1886) was a British diplomat who devoted his spare time to the study of Chinese plants.

Born in London, his first appointment was to Hong Kong in 1844. He later became vice-consul to Whampoa, consul to Canton, and finally consul to Xiamen, where he died in 1886. In 1873, Hance published a supplement to George Bentham's 1861 Flora Hongkongensis.

He found, named and described (in Latin) Iris speculatrix in 1875.^[1][2] He was the taxonomic author of many plants.^[3] In 1857 Berthold Carl Seemann named the genus Hancea (family Euphorbiaceae) in his honor.^[4]

Hance is buried with his wife Charlotte in Hong Kong Cemetery.^[5]

References

1. "Thema: Die Planzengattung Iris ... (Gelesen 5316 mal)". orchideenkultur.net. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
2. "Journal of Botany British and Foreign". biodiversitylibrary.org. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
3. IPNI List of plants described and co-described by Hance.
4. BHL Taxonomic literature : a selective guide to botanical publications
5. Lim, Patricia (5 May 2011). "List of Burials ordered by Name". gwulo.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
6. "Author Query for 'Hance'". International Plant Names Index.