Tradescant, John (1570-1638)

English gardener and botanist who travelled widely in Europe and is thought to have introduced the cos lettuce to England from the Greek island of that name. He was appointed gardener to Charles I and was succeeded by his son, John Tradescant the Younger (1608-1662). The younger Tradescant undertook three plant-collecting trips to Virginia in North America. The Tradescants introduced many new plants to Britain, including the acacia, lilac, and occidental plane. Tradescant senior is generally considered the earliest collector of plants and other natural-history objects. In 1604 the elder Tradescant became gardener to the earl of Salisbury, who in 1610 for the first time sent him abroad to collect plants. In 1620 he accompanied an official expedition against the North African Barbary pirates and brought back to England gutta-percha and various fruits and seeds. Later, when he became gardener to Charles I, Tradescant set up his own garden and museum in London. In 1624 he published a catalogue of 750 plants grown in his garden. The Tradescants' collection of specimens formed the nucleus of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named the genus Tradescantia (the spiderworts) after the younger Tradescant.