Andrew Sinclair (c. 1796-1861)
Acianthus sinclairii

Andrew Sinclair, the son of a middle-class family, was born at Paisley, Scotland. He studied medicine at Glasgow, Paris and Edinburgh, and in 1822 joined the Royal Navy as an assistant surgeon. Botany was a component of medical studies at that time, and while he was abroad, Dr Sinclair pursued this interest, sending plant specimens to the British Museum from South Africa, the Mediterranean and Central America.

He made a brief return to England for health reasons, and then went to Australia. In 1841 he took the opportunity to visit the Bay of Islands while Ross's Antarctic expedition was there, and accompanied JD Hooker and William Colenso on some of their botanical expeditions.

Two years later he sailed to Australia again, this time as Surgeon-Superintendent on a convict ship bound for Tasmania. The voyage marked the end of his term of service; he took his discharge at Sydney and offered to accompany Governor Fitzroy to New Zealand and serve in a medical or exploratory capacity. He was pressed into accepting the position of Colonial Secretary and held that office for twelve years. Although he had no special aptitude for the job, he was reputed to be honest, fair and hardworking. He devoted his leisure to botany, collecting specimens from all parts of the North Island and sending them to Kew Gardens where they provided Hooker with much of the material for his work on New Zealand flora.

His focus in retirement was scientific exploration. He made a visit to Scotland and Europe, and had discussions on scientific matters with Darwin, Huxley and Hooker. In 1858 he was back in New Zealand, collecting further material for Hooker. His journals show that he collected in most districts, ever hopeful of new finds. He was elected fellow of the Linnaean Society in 1959. In 1861 he joined Julius von Haast on a Southern Alps exploratory trip, and was drowned while crossing the Rangitata River. His lonely grave is on the river flat near the Mesopotamia homestead.

Dr Andrew Sinclair was described as a pleasant, widely knowledgeable companion, genial, entertaining and instructive, who made a major contribution to New Zealand botany. Plants named in his honour include an alpine buttercup (Ranunculus) and daisy (Celmisia), a tiny orchid (Acianthus), the large-leafed puka (Meryta) and a shade-loving herb (Jovellana). Haastia sinclairii, another plant of the South Island alpine regions, commemorates the friendship of Julius von Haast and Dr Andrew Sinclair.

Drawings from Bruce Irwin's drawings of NZ orchids,
NZNOG, Wellington, 2007