Roland Edgar Cooper

Roland Edgar Cooper FRSE FRSGS (16 June 1890 – 31 January 1962) was a British botanist and Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1936 to 1950. Within the Gardens the Roland Edgar Cooper Collection stems from his own work. A number of species found by him bear the name Cooperi. A large number of Rhododendrons collected by Cooper continue to grow in the Gardens.

He was born at Kingston-on-Thames in 1890, and was apparently orphaned aged only four and later raised by his aunt Emma. Her husband, William Wright Smith, later became Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, creating Roland's link to his future role.

In 1907 he travelled to India with his uncle to study and collect samples in Sikkim, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan until 1910. This was aided by the local collector and plant expert, Rohmoo Lapcha. He then came to Edinburgh to undertake a Horticulture course at the Royal Botanic Garden. In 1913 he returned to India (without his uncle) and travelled more widely in search of species, beginning in the Himalayas. He again explored Sikkim and in 1914–15 returned to Bhutan, before exploring the Punjab in 1916.

In the second half of the First World War, he served as an officer with the 1st Gurkha Rifles in north-west India. He was later attached to the Royal Flying Corps and stationed at Alexandria, Egypt in 1918–19.

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