Jean Rasmussen

British explorer and botanical collector

Jean Rasmussen

Born|

Jean Macklin

(1921-01-27)27 January 1921

Bombay, British India

Died| 3 December 2011(2011-12-03) (aged 90)

Eastbourne, Sussex, England

Other names| Jean Kingdon-Ward
Occupation(s)| botanist, botanical collector and writer
Organization| Royal Horticultural Society
Known for| botanical collecting and writing
Notable work| My Hill So Strong
Spouse| Frank Kingdon-Ward (m. 1947, died 1958)

Jean Rasmussen formerly Jean Kingdon-Ward née Macklin (27 January 1921 – 3 December 2011) was a botanist, botanical collector, explorer and writer who participated in five major expeditions in India and Burma, backed by the Royal Horticultural Society.

## Biography

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Rasmussen was born as Jean Macklin on 27 January 1921 in Bombay. She was the daughter of an English High Court judge.[1]

During her expeditions to India and Burma, backed by the Royal Horticultural Society,[1] Rasmussen collected numerous scientific specimens of plants, some of which were new to science.[2] The species Lilium mackliniae was named in her honour.[3]

Rasmussen wrote about her expedition to the Lohit river valley on the border of Tibet and her experiences with the 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake during that expedition in her book My Hill So Strong.[2]

## Personal life

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On 12 November 1947, Rasmussen married botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward,[4] after they met in India.[5] At the time of the marriage she was 26 and he was 62.[6] Immediately after their marriage, they went on a plant collecting expedition to Manipur in Northern India.[1] Rasmussen's husband Frank Kingdon-Ward died on 8 April 1958, aged 72.[4][7] She was married a second time to a Norwegian man, after which her surname became Rasmussen and moved to Oslo, Norway.[8] She later retired to live in Eastbourne, Sussex.[1]

Rasmussen died on 3 December 2011.[1][8]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e Carnaghan, Christopher (November 2012). "Jean Rasmussen". Asian Affairs. 43 (3): 546–547\. doi:10.1080/03068374.2012.720821. ISSN 0306-8374. S2CID 218623603.
2. ^ a b Larson, Ole Jonny (2015). "Jean Rasmussen in Norway" (PDF). Rhododendrons, Camellias and Magnolias: 119–126.
3. ^ Cox, Peter (2010). "Variation in Lilium mackliniae" (PDF). Plantsman. 9 (1): 38–39\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
4. ^ a b Lyte, Charles (1989). Frank Kingdon-Ward : the last of the great plant hunters. London : J. Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-4735-5.
5. ^ The Garden. Vol. 126\. Royal Horticultural Society. 2001. p. 200.
6. ^ Farrington, Susan; Leach, Hugh (29 August 2003). Strolling About on the Roof of the World: The First Hundred Years of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-42668-3.
7. ^ Ward, Francis Kingdon (2001). Frank Kingdon Ward's Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges: Retracing the Epic Journey of 1924-25 in South-east Tibet. Antique Collectors' Club. p. 8\. ISBN 978-1-85149-371-5.
8. ^ a b Troelstra, Anne S. (1 June 2017). Bibliography of Natural History Travel Narratives. BRILL. pp. 244–245\. ISBN 978-90-04-34378-8.

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Academics|

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