William Borrer

William Borrer (Henfield, Sussex, 13 June 1781 – 10 January 1862) was an English botanist noted for his extensive and accurate knowledge of the plants of the British Islands.

He travelled extensively around Britain to see and collect plants and lichens, and also once crossed the English Channel to visit Normandy. He was accompanied on some of his travels by William Jackson Hooker and by Charles Cardale Babington. Borrer was particularly interested in lichens, willows, roses and succulents although had a very broad knowledge of plants. He was particularly good at recording plant identifications but often omitted the date and location where the plant was collected. He was also frequently consulted about identifications. He attempted to grow many plant species in his garden so that he could distinguish key identification characteristics without concerns that differences were caused by different habitats.

Publications Borrer published very little in his own name but contributed information to several important works on British botany during the early 1800s that acknowledged his assistance. This included the Sussex flora in Turner and Dillwyn's Botanist's Guide through England and Wales published in 1805. In 1813 he began to work with Dawson Turner on British lichens and the Lichenographia Britannica was finally published in 1839. He contributed to numerous other publications such as descriptions of lichens, Salix, Rosa, and Rubus to the supplement to English Botany published in 1830.

His extensive annotated herbarium is conserved at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and his correspondence is held in several archives, including Cambridge University Library.

Over living 6600 specimens were recorded in his garden including exotic plants and trees.

He named the wild leek, Allium babingtonii Borrer after his friend Babington.

Personal life

Borrer was born in Henfield, Sussex, on 13 June 1781. His parents were landowners and farmers who supplied the army. He was educated at private schools and by tutors. He was interested in plants from a young age. After he inherited family wealth, he could devote himself to plants.

Borrer was a patron of the sciences and supported his local church financially. He also promoted education of the poor through building schools on his land. He was also a magistrate. including Borrer's salt marsh grass, Glyceria borreri (Bab.) Bab. (later given the new systematic name Puccinellia fasciculata (Torr.) Bicknell), the fern Dryopteris borreri Newm., the seaweed Callithamnion borreri (currently considered a synonym of Pleonosporium borreri (Smith) Nägeli), the desmid Didymoprium borreri (Ralfs) Ralfs, the scentless briar Rosa borreri Woods, and the hybrid woodrush Luzula x borreri Bromf. ex Bab (currently considered to be Luzula forsteri x pilosa).