Frank Nicholas Meyer
Encyclopedia
Frank Nicholas Meyer was an United States Department of Agriculture
explorer who traveled to Asia
to collect new plant
species
. He introduced 2,500 plants into the United States. The Meyer lemon
was named in his honor.
in 1875. He emigrated to the United States
in 1901. Meyer was hired in 1905 by the United States Department of Agriculture
in their Office of Seed and Plant Introduction
to send back to the United States economically useful plants. Through an arrangement with Charles Sprague Sargent
and David Fairchild
Meyer was also to send to the Arnold Arboretum tree
s and shrub
s of ornamental value. They archived images he collected of his travels. Meyer died near Shanghai
in 1918.
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
explorer who traveled to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
to collect new plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. He introduced 2,500 plants into the United States. The Meyer lemon
Meyer lemon
Citrus × meyeri, the Meyer lemon, is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange. It was introduced to the United States in 1908 as S.P.I...
was named in his honor.
Biography
He was born Frans Nicholaas Meijer in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1875. He emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1901. Meyer was hired in 1905 by the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
in their Office of Seed and Plant Introduction
Office of Seed and Plant Introduction
The Office of Seed and Plant Introduction was a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture which introduced over 200,000 species and varieties of non-native plants to the United States....
to send back to the United States economically useful plants. Through an arrangement with Charles Sprague Sargent
Charles Sprague Sargent
Charles Sprague Sargent was an American botanist. He was the first director of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts and the standard botanical author abbreviation Sarg. is applied to plants he described.-Biography:Sargent was the second son of Henrietta and...
and David Fairchild
David Fairchild
David Grandison Fairchild was an American botanist and plant explorer. Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of established crops into the United States, including soybeans, pistachios, mangos, nectarines, dates, bamboos, and flowering...
Meyer was also to send to the Arnold Arboretum tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s and shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s of ornamental value. They archived images he collected of his travels. Meyer died near Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in 1918.