John Ellis (naturalist)

Title page of French translation of "Natural History of the Corallines"

John Ellis FRS (c. 1710 – 15 October 1776) was a British linen merchant and naturalist.

Ellis specialised in the study of corals. He was elected a member of the Royal Society in 1754 and in the following year published An essay towards the Natural History of the Corallines. He was awarded the Copley Medal in 1767. His A Natural History of Many Uncommon and Curious Zoophytes, written with Daniel Solander, was published posthumously in 1776.

Ellis was appointed Royal Agent for British West Florida in 1764, and for British Dominica in 1770.

He exported many seeds and native plants from North America to England. He corresponded with many botanists, including Carl Linnaeus.

His essay Directions for bringing over seeds and plants, from the East Indies (1770) included the first illustration of a Venus Flytrap plant.

Taxonomist

Plate from John Ellis’ "A Botanical Description of the Dionaea muscipula"

References

External links

Ellis, John (1773) Directions for bringing over seeds and plants, from the East-Indies and other distant countries - digital facsimile from Linda Hall Library