King, Copland Rev. (1863 - 1918)
Born in 1863; died on 5 October 1918 in Sydney, Aust.
The 'Flora Malesiana - Cyclopaedia of Collectors' (1950) entry states:
"King, Copland
(?, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia; Oct. 1918,
Sydney),
missionary who served 25 years with the
Anglican Mission;
he resided in the Kumusi division, at Ambasi on the NE. coast of the SE. Peninsula of New Guinea.
He specialized in ferns.
Marattia kingii COPEL. and other ferns were
named after him.
COLLECTING LOCALITIES.
From c. 1893-1918. SE. New Guinea, Papua: Kumusi River,
Cape Vogel, Bartle Bay, Yodda, Ambasi, Cape
Nelson, Collingwood Bay, Gira Track, Goodenough Bay, Waria River, Samarai, Port Moresby,
Lakekamu River, Woodlark Isl., Loane, Tamata,
Taupota, Mt Tuan, Mt Gewagewa; visit to Waria
& Yodda Goldfields and the Kumusi River (1908
or 1909); visits to Mambare River Mission Station
(1910 or 191I).
COLLECTIONS.
Principally ferns and orchids.
He certainly collected as early as 1894. His later
collections were sent to F. M. BAILEY, and preserved in Herb. Brisbane (pres. 1904-18), including
his legacy of 1000 sheets.
Herb. Sydney: large
number of pteridophytes (identified by ALSTON).
Herb. Bog.: 101 nos of ferns (pres. 1910) which
were sent for identification to Dr E. ROSENSTOCK.
He also submitted ferns to E. B. COPELAND, and
sent herbarium specimens of indigenous trees to
Dr FOXWORTHY of the Philippine Islands for identification."
There appears to be many specimens mentioned in Australia that are not databased in AVH by 2025.
Source: Extracted from:
van Steenis (ed) 'Flora Malesiana - Cyclopaedia of Collectors', Djakarta, (1950) p.281
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-365744931/view?partId=nla.obj-365746191#page/n8/mode/1up
Portrait Photo: 'Copland King And His Papuan Friends' by Rev. Cecil J. King, M.A., Sydney (1934)
Collecting localities for 'King, C.' from AVH (2025)
Data from 59 specimens
