Allan Cunningham (1791-1839)

Allan Cunningham was one of many collectors sent out on expeditions by Joseph Banks. His primary hunting grounds were in Australia.

Plant collecting in Australia was dangerous. The main difficulty was not the rough terrain, but the heat and lack of water. Horses quickly became exhausted, some dying of dehydration, and the situation was not made any easier by the eerily invisible, yet ever-present Aborigines with whom he had many confused encounters. These unpredictable meetings could result in trade or theft, but increasingly, in hostile ambushes. Spears, stones and boomerangs often came hurtling out of the bush without warning.

Homesick after 15 years abroad, Cunningham returned triumphant to England in 1831 with 70 crates of living material. Like many collectors returning from an intrepid lifestyle Cunningham could not settle once back in England, and in spite of his brother having been killed by Aborigines, Cunningham returned to Australia for good to continue his botanical work.

Cunningham collected many species of Eucalyptus, Acacia, Pittosporum, and, of particular current interest, the Moreton Bay Chestnut (Castanospermum australe), the seeds of which are under investigation as HIV inhibitors.

Alania from the Blue Mountains of southeast Australia is named in his honour.

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