Researched by Heritage Advisory Group
Thomas Lobb was born in Cornwall and like his older brother, became a highly-successful plant collector for James Veitch’s nursery in Exeter. He collected plants from Singapore, Java, India, Malaya, Borneo and the Philippines during a number of trips between 1843 and 1860. Veitch was particularly keen that Thomas Lobb should visit China but on his arrival in Singapore, it became clear to Lobb that he would not be allowed to enter the country. Instead he set off to explore Java and other neighbouring islands.
Although he introduced many plants we grow in our homes today such as the Wax plants (Hoyas) and Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans), Thomas was foremost an orchid fanatic. He would turn out be one of the most successful of the orchid collectors, introducing at least 40 new wild species and was meticulous in his work.
He was celebrated in his own time for the first successful introduction of the famed Blue orchid (Vanda coerulea) but without doubt his most significant introduction was the Moth orchid (Phalaenopsis amabilis), which is the most widely-grown orchid in our homes today. Sadly, the success of collectors such as Thomas Lobb caught the attention of unscrupulous speculators who cared little for the jungles and who decimated the forests in search of plants hoping to earn an easy income in the process.
In 1860, Thomas Lobb fell ill while collecting in the Philippines. The details are not clear, but it appears he had to cease his work immediately and return home to Cornwall to recover. One of his legs became badly infected and gangrene must have set in as it was deemed necessary to undergo an amputation. Apparently, the operation took place on his niece’s kitchen table with basic anaesthetic but he survived the ordeal.
His plant collecting days were now over and he settled into the life of a recluse in Devoran. He dreamt of his old days in the tropics as he tended his large garden and few people nearby knew of his fame until after he died.
Should you ever drive past the property today, beside the main road in Devoran, a large and distinctive conifer discovered and introduced by him, Cryptomeria japonica ‘Lobbii’, can be seen near the road. With its distinctive tufted shoots, it is a rare tree and stands in quiet remembrance of this remarkable man. Thomas Lobb died in 1894, aged 76 and is buried at Devoran Church where both Thomas and his brother William Lobb are remembered as the gardening heroes they were.