Thomas Anderson (botanist)

His health failing, he came home, and, the steamer being detained at Aden for some days, he made collections of the plants of that region, upon which he based his Florula Adenensis (1860).

[1] About this time he returned to India, taking temporary charge of the Calcutta Botanic Garden during the absence of Dr Thomas Thomson, whom he afterwards succeeded as director.

[2] Anderson introduced valuable medicinal plants, especially cinchona and ipecacuanha at the Sibpur botanical gardens and conducted experiments on their culltivation.

[3] He was involved in organizing the forest department in Bengal from 1864 but gave up after two years due to other work pressures and in 1868 poor health forced him to take leave.

The difficult order Acanthaceae received his special attention; but before his work could be completed he was again attacked by illness, and died at Edinburgh of disease of the liver on 26 October 1870.