Making Mangoes Move
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Keywords:
environment, history
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Abstract
A landscape of mangoes most likely brings to mind a place in a tropical location. By the end of the nineteenth century that place could have been located on any continent in the world. Mangoes were found in geographic locations; in scientific institutions; as crop plants; and as a backyard trees. Here I trace the movement of mangoes Mangifera indica Linn., focusing on the transnational links formed through colonial botanic gardens in Australia. Botanic gardens were largely understood through their work in
establishing economically successful plantation crops, such as sugar and tea. Mangoes were not a success crop of the age of botanic imperialism. Instead, mangoes were simply one species among the millions of plants that botanic gardens moved in addition to these well known commercial crops. Colonial science moved plants for a myriad of other types of reasons, for ornament, for curiosity, for lesser commercial purposes and
for pure science. In each site the mango emerged, the discourses and technologies that traveled with it changed according to local needs. Indeed, rather than finding mangoes located in one place, tracing their movement demonstrates that this was an extended landscape connecting these things across time and space.
establishing economically successful plantation crops, such as sugar and tea. Mangoes were not a success crop of the age of botanic imperialism. Instead, mangoes were simply one species among the millions of plants that botanic gardens moved in addition to these well known commercial crops. Colonial science moved plants for a myriad of other types of reasons, for ornament, for curiosity, for lesser commercial purposes and
for pure science. In each site the mango emerged, the discourses and technologies that traveled with it changed according to local needs. Indeed, rather than finding mangoes located in one place, tracing their movement demonstrates that this was an extended landscape connecting these things across time and space.
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References
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Alexander, D McE. (1986) "The Mango in Australia." Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia.
Bailey, L H. (1933) How Plants Got Their Names. New York: The Macmillan Company.
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Banks, Joseph. (nd) "Rules for Collecting and Preserving Specimens of Plants." In Papers of Sir Joseph Banks. Sydney.
Banks, Joseph. (1873) "The Best Fruit Drier." The Garden 3, no. September 13: 219.
Bidwell, J C. (1849) "Letter to William Hooker." In Australian Joint Copying Project, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sydney.
Blake, Thom. (2002) "'This Noble Tree': J.C. Bidwell and the Naming of the Bunya Pine." Queensland Review 9, no. 2: 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1321816600002944
Brockway, Lucile. (1979) Science and Colonial Expansion: The Role of British Royal Botanic Gardens. New York: Academic Press.
Buchanan, D. (1902) "Queensland - Mango Culture." The Gardener's Chronicle, no. December 20: 462.
Cohn, Helen M. (1995) "Australian Plants, the Garden and Botany in the Nineteenth Century Periodical." Naturae, no. 5: 1-24.
Colville, Frederick V. (1895) "Directions for Collecting Specimens and Information Illustrating the Aboriginal Use of Plants." Bulletin of the United States National Museum, no. 39: 3-8.
Desmond, Ray. (1998) Kew: The History of the Royal Botanic Gardens. London: Harvill in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Drayton, Richard. (2003) Nature's Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the 'Improvement' of the World. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Fraser, Charles. (1827)."List of Esculent Vegetables and Pott Herbs Cultivated in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney." In Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Special Collection Series B1. Sydney.
Frawley, Jodi. (1999) "The Queensland Botanic Gardens Context Study." Brisbane: Queensland Environmental Protection Agency.
Gaynor, Andrea. (2006) Harvest of the Suburbs: An Environmental History of Growing Food in Australian Cities. Crawley, W. A.: University of Western Australia Press.
Government Botanic Gardens Sydney. (1866) "Catalogue of Plants in the Government Botanic Gardens Sydney, New South Wales." In Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Special Collection. Sydney.
Grove, Richard. (1995) Green Imperialism : Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens, and the Origins of Environmentalism, 1600 -1860, Studies in Environment and History. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hewson, Helen. (1999) Australia: 300 Years of Botanical Illustration. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing.
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Jones, B. (1894-5) "Plants in Botanic Gardens Sydney 1894-5." In Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Library Manuscripts Collection. Sydney.
Juma, Calestous. (1989) "Explorations in Historical Botany." In The Gene Hunters; Biotechnology and the Scramble for Suitable Seeds, 37-65. London: Zed Books. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400860258.37
Juma, Calestous. (1989) The Gene Hunters; Biotechnology and the Scramble for Suitable Seeds. London: Zed Books.
Kostermans, Andre, and Jean-Marie Bompard. (1993) The Mangoes: Their Botany, Nomenclature, Horticulture and Utilisation. London: Academic Press.
Latour, Bruno. (1999) "Circulating Reference: Sampling the Soil in the Amazon Forest." In Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies, 24-79. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lee, Mr. (nd) "Rules for Collecting and Preserving Seeds from Botany Bay." In Australian Joint Copying Project, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Correspondence, 118-19. Sydney.
Lockhardt. (1821) "List of Imported Plants Numbered with Rhombood Pieces of Lead in the Following Size." In Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Correspondence, Australian Joint Copying Project, 781. Sydney.
MacLeod, Roy. (1982) "On Visiting the 'Moving Metropolis': Reflections on the Architecture of Imperial Science." Historical Records of Australian Science 5, no. 3: 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9820530001
McCracken, Donal. (1997) Gardens of Empire: Botanical Institutions of the Victorian British Empire. London: Leicester University Press.
Mills, Colin. (2006) "The Case of the Missing Notebook." Australian Garden History 18, no. 1: 4-7.
Moore, Charles. (1884) "A Census of the Plants of New South Wales." In Royal Botanic Gardens Special Collection. Sydney.
Moore, Charles. (1849) "Report from the Director of Botanic Gardens, Sydney." Sydney: New South Wales Votes and Proceedings.
Ridley, Henry N. (1922) The Flora of the Malay Peninsula. London: Reeve & Co.
Roscoe, William. (1810) "On Artificial and Natural Arrangements of Plants: And Particularly on the Systems of Linnaeus and Jussieu." Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 11: 50-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1813.tb00038.x
Schiebinger, Londa. (2004) Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Singh, Lal Behari. (1968) The Mango: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization. London: Leonard Hill Books Ltd.
Teasdale, Washington. (1873) "The Mango and Its Varieties." The Garden 3: 298-99.
Teasdale, Washington. (1874) "Tropical Fruit and Economic Trees." The Illustration Horticole 1: 30-31.
Watt, George. (1891) Dictionary of the Economic Products of India. Vol. 5. Calcutta: Department of Revenue and Agriculture, Government of India.
Wijands, D. Onno, and Johannes Heniger. (1991) "The Origins of Clifford's Herbarium." Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 106, no. 2: 129-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1991.tb02288.x
Z. (1873) "The Mangoes and Its Varieties." The Garden, no. October 11: 299.
Alexander, D McE. (1986) "The Mango in Australia." Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia.
Bailey, L H. (1933) How Plants Got Their Names. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Banks, Joseph. (1809) "On the Forcing-Houses of the Romans, with a List of Fruits Cultivated by Them, Now in Our Gardens." Transactions of the Horticultural Society 1: 147-56.
Banks, Joseph. (nd) "Rules for Collecting and Preserving Specimens of Plants." In Papers of Sir Joseph Banks. Sydney.
Banks, Joseph. (1873) "The Best Fruit Drier." The Garden 3, no. September 13: 219.
Bidwell, J C. (1849) "Letter to William Hooker." In Australian Joint Copying Project, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sydney.
Blake, Thom. (2002) "'This Noble Tree': J.C. Bidwell and the Naming of the Bunya Pine." Queensland Review 9, no. 2: 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1321816600002944
Brockway, Lucile. (1979) Science and Colonial Expansion: The Role of British Royal Botanic Gardens. New York: Academic Press.
Buchanan, D. (1902) "Queensland - Mango Culture." The Gardener's Chronicle, no. December 20: 462.
Cohn, Helen M. (1995) "Australian Plants, the Garden and Botany in the Nineteenth Century Periodical." Naturae, no. 5: 1-24.
Colville, Frederick V. (1895) "Directions for Collecting Specimens and Information Illustrating the Aboriginal Use of Plants." Bulletin of the United States National Museum, no. 39: 3-8.
Desmond, Ray. (1998) Kew: The History of the Royal Botanic Gardens. London: Harvill in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Drayton, Richard. (2003) Nature's Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the 'Improvement' of the World. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Fraser, Charles. (1827)."List of Esculent Vegetables and Pott Herbs Cultivated in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney." In Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Special Collection Series B1. Sydney.
Frawley, Jodi. (1999) "The Queensland Botanic Gardens Context Study." Brisbane: Queensland Environmental Protection Agency.
Gaynor, Andrea. (2006) Harvest of the Suburbs: An Environmental History of Growing Food in Australian Cities. Crawley, W. A.: University of Western Australia Press.
Government Botanic Gardens Sydney. (1866) "Catalogue of Plants in the Government Botanic Gardens Sydney, New South Wales." In Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Special Collection. Sydney.
Grove, Richard. (1995) Green Imperialism : Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens, and the Origins of Environmentalism, 1600 -1860, Studies in Environment and History. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hewson, Helen. (1999) Australia: 300 Years of Botanical Illustration. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing.
Hooker, Joseph Dalton. (1879) The Flora of British India. London: Reeve & Co.
Hooker, Joseph Dalton, and Thomas Thomson. (1855) Flora Indica: Being a Systematic Account of the Plants of British India, Together with Observations on the Structures of Their Natural Orders and Genera. London: Pamplin. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.50109
Hooker, William Jackson, and John Smith. (1850) "Mangifera Indica Mango Tree." Curtis's Botanical Magazine LXXVI: pl. 4510. "House for Growing the Mango and Mangosteen." (1865) Journal of Horticulture and Cottage Gardener, no. December 5: 464.
Jones, B. (1894-5) "Plants in Botanic Gardens Sydney 1894-5." In Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Library Manuscripts Collection. Sydney.
Juma, Calestous. (1989) "Explorations in Historical Botany." In The Gene Hunters; Biotechnology and the Scramble for Suitable Seeds, 37-65. London: Zed Books. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400860258.37
Juma, Calestous. (1989) The Gene Hunters; Biotechnology and the Scramble for Suitable Seeds. London: Zed Books.
Kostermans, Andre, and Jean-Marie Bompard. (1993) The Mangoes: Their Botany, Nomenclature, Horticulture and Utilisation. London: Academic Press.
Latour, Bruno. (1999) "Circulating Reference: Sampling the Soil in the Amazon Forest." In Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies, 24-79. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lee, Mr. (nd) "Rules for Collecting and Preserving Seeds from Botany Bay." In Australian Joint Copying Project, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Correspondence, 118-19. Sydney.
Lockhardt. (1821) "List of Imported Plants Numbered with Rhombood Pieces of Lead in the Following Size." In Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Correspondence, Australian Joint Copying Project, 781. Sydney.
MacLeod, Roy. (1982) "On Visiting the 'Moving Metropolis': Reflections on the Architecture of Imperial Science." Historical Records of Australian Science 5, no. 3: 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9820530001
McCracken, Donal. (1997) Gardens of Empire: Botanical Institutions of the Victorian British Empire. London: Leicester University Press.
Mills, Colin. (2006) "The Case of the Missing Notebook." Australian Garden History 18, no. 1: 4-7.
Moore, Charles. (1884) "A Census of the Plants of New South Wales." In Royal Botanic Gardens Special Collection. Sydney.
Moore, Charles. (1849) "Report from the Director of Botanic Gardens, Sydney." Sydney: New South Wales Votes and Proceedings.
Ridley, Henry N. (1922) The Flora of the Malay Peninsula. London: Reeve & Co.
Roscoe, William. (1810) "On Artificial and Natural Arrangements of Plants: And Particularly on the Systems of Linnaeus and Jussieu." Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 11: 50-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1813.tb00038.x
Schiebinger, Londa. (2004) Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Singh, Lal Behari. (1968) The Mango: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization. London: Leonard Hill Books Ltd.
Teasdale, Washington. (1873) "The Mango and Its Varieties." The Garden 3: 298-99.
Teasdale, Washington. (1874) "Tropical Fruit and Economic Trees." The Illustration Horticole 1: 30-31.
Watt, George. (1891) Dictionary of the Economic Products of India. Vol. 5. Calcutta: Department of Revenue and Agriculture, Government of India.
Wijands, D. Onno, and Johannes Heniger. (1991) "The Origins of Clifford's Herbarium." Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 106, no. 2: 129-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1991.tb02288.x
Z. (1873) "The Mangoes and Its Varieties." The Garden, no. October 11: 299.