The Veitch dynasty, originally from Scotland, owned plant nurseries in Devon and London throughout the nineteenth century. By commissioning several expeditions to search for new and exotic flora for British gardens, they were instrumental in bringing many previously unknown plants into cultivation in Britain. James Herbert Veitch (1868–1907), who became managing director of the firm, spent time in Germany and France studying the techniques of horticulture, and later travelled the world himself collecting plants for the nursery in Chelsea. This work, published in 1906, gives a detailed account of the family business and of the men that the firm sent to South America, Japan, China and India during the period 1840–1906, including distinguished plant finders such as William Lobb, his brother Thomas, who first introduced various types of orchids from India to Britain for cultivation, and Richard Pearce, who brought back tuberous begonias from South America.