Charles Baron Clarke

He was introduced into botanical tastes by his paternal grandmother Elizabeth Baron who was the brother of a founder of the Agricultural Society of Saffron Walden.

He took a special interest in economics and was part of a group that included Henry Fawcett, Leslie Stephen, and John Rigby.

Clarke joined the uncovenanted civil service in 1865 and became Inspector of Schools in Eastern Bengal and later of India, and superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Garden from 1869 to 1871 in the place of Thomas Anderson (1832–1870).

In 1879 he was put on special duty which included four years at Kew to assist Sir Joseph Hooker with work on the Flora of British India.

[10] Clarke wrote several books and papers, including: One of the most influential contributions was his biogeographical classification of British India which was based on his studies of the Cyperaceae.