Alan Mitchell (botanist)

"… British s have been the pioneers or among the most active workers in every area of the world important for species. In the second half of the seventeenth century at was inspiring collection in eastern North America by and receiving plants from . From 1827 was sending back the first conifers from western North America, and his collecting was greatly augmented by the Veitchian collectors and those from the Oregon Society from 1853 to 1856. and were sending plants from Japan in 1860 and 1861, Fortune having already sent some from southern China in 1843. and had followed ’s pioneer introduction {') from South America by many more species in 1847 and 1854. From 1899, and were sending a multitude of species from China and later, Formosa. In India, amateur collectors acquired Himalayan species from 1818 onwards."

"WHITE WILLOW ' L. Native all over Britain except in N. W. Scotland, Europe, N. Africa to C. Asia. Common along lowland riversides and valleys; usually less numerous than ."

"SHINGLE OAK ' South-eastern USA 1786. Infrequent; a few large gardens and collections in all parts."

"In 1994 The Sacred Yew by Anand Chetan and Diana Brueton ... revealed that Alan Mitchell (1992 - 1995 and founder of the of Britain and Ireland), after becoming increasingly interested in potential antiquity himself, (via corresponding with Allen Meredith in the late 1980’s), considered it entirely possible that wild, stunted yew on the storm swept and barren (the westernmost point of the ) could be truly ancient. This was despite their size; with relatively small girths of around 12ft (3.5 m approx.). By 1994 Alan Mitchell had concluded that “There is no theoretical end to this tree, no need for it to die” ..."

"Alan Mitchell (1922-1995) became famous in the world of , especially in his native England, as the preeminent tree measurer. He wrote some 9 or 10 tree books, covering identification, history in cultivation, utility to people, and growth. His last, posthumous title cites the abundance, performance, strengths and weaknesses of 163 kinds of trees cultivated in Britain."