Genus Abelia

For Clarke Abel (1780–1826), British surgeon and naturalist. In 1816–1817, on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks, Abel went on a mission to China with Lord Amherst. He served in the British embassy at Canton as chief medical officer and naturalist, during which time he visited the well-known nursery gardens at Fa Tee (Fa Ti). For two years, he collected plants and seeds, and sent back to England a number of consignments of specimens and seeds – a major consignment was lost as a result of a pirate attack. They were shipwrecked on the way home resulting in the loss of all his specimens; however, some specimens left behind in Canton were later returned to him by Sir George Staunton. Abel kept a documented record of his travels, later published as Narrative of a Journey in the Interior of China (1818). In 1823, he became Lord Amherst’s surgeon-in-chief when the earl was appointed governor-general in India. Abel was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1819.