TAP the name Richard Spruce into any internet search engine and it throws up a million and one links about the highly-successful Victorian botanist and his ground-breaking work along the Amazon river.

Kew Gardens and the Natural History Museum are full of dried specimens collected by him, and he discovered 7,000 species of exotic flowers.

But as one of Ryedale's greatest sons, has he been celebrated enough back here in his Yorkshire home?

Perhaps not, but all that is about to change, with a new trail to be launched this weekend, complete with free colour booklet, which will weave through the Howardian villages where Richard lived and worked.

Richard Spruce (1817-1839) grew up in Ganthorpe, lived in Welburn and Coneysthorpe and was buried in the churchyard in Terrington in 1893. It was a landscape he loved, and where he developed his passionate interest in botany.

A shy and private man, little is known about him personally. But thanks to a group of individuals who have been working hard to raise his profile, the trail marks only the beginning of a re-discovery of a legend.

The Richard Spruce Society, consisting of Carolyn Stuart, Martin Roberts, Gerry Bradshaw, Angela Cox, Jane Naughton and Gerard Naughton, formed in 2003 and is a cross-pollination of the Welburn history group and Terrington Arts.

"We did call ourselves the Richard Spruce Group to start with," explains key member Angela Cox, "But we thought we sounded a bit like a boy band!"

They have certainly served as a loyal fan base.

"I didn't much like him at first," said Angela, who has read hundreds of his letters. "As a young man, he came across as a bit callous, but I think he was really just frustrated." Now she and the rest of the crew are hooked on his life and work.

Richard reluctantly followed his father into a career as a school master, working in York, but through sheer determination he set off to far-flung corners of the world to be a botanist.

He is best remembered for his epic journeys along the little-known reaches of the river Amazon and its exotic tributaries, where, facing considerable hardship and personal danger, he gathered and dried exotic flowering plants to send back to England.

While there, he was commissioned by the government to bring back seeds and plants of the quinine-producing cinchona tree for cultivation in India, thus ensuring a safe and reliable source of this anti-malarial drug. Angela says that the image of major generals in the days of the empire, sipping gin and quinine-based tonic thanks to him always captures the imagination of Richard Spruce novices.

Eventually, his health broke down, he lost all his savings and was forced to return to England where no one had expected to see him again.

Apart from the 15 years or so that he was abroad, most of his life was spent in the villages of the Castle Howard estate.

And it is this part of his life which seems to be of real interest to the society.

"They are building a statue of him in Ecuador," said Angela. "Internationally, and in scientific circles, he is renowned, but his life here is also fascinating."

The letters she has pored over reveal much about life in Victorian Ryedale villages, and she has even uncovered a romance between Richard and the local doctor's daughter.

"Eventually, we would like to compile a book, if we can get sponsorship," said Angela.

But for now, botanists are traveling from London and Liverpool to attend the trail launch this Saturday.

"We've had so much interest, it really has surprised us, the enthusiasm that has been generated," said Angela.

The society members themselves can be proud not only of a major achievement born of much hard work, but also, in some ways, of righting a wrong and celebrating a forgotten hero of Ryedale.

Another eminent biologist with local North Yorkshire connections, Professor John Lawton CBE FRS, chief executive of the Natural Environmental Research Council, summed up the achievement.

He said: "Richard Spruce was a remarkable man. His pioneering biological surveys in South America played a major role in opening biologists' eyes to the wonders of the flora and fauna of this species-rich continent.

"It is a measure of the threats to biodiversity all over the world from human activities that many of his collecting sites no longer exist. All the more reason, therefore, to remember and preserve his scientific legacy.

"I am delighted to learn that the Richard Spruce Society is undertaking the important task of celebrating his life and achievements."

The Richard Spruce Day, including the launch of the Richard Spruce Trail, takes place at Terrington Village Hall on Saturday, June 12, between 10am and 4pm. Admission is free and a £5 lunch can be booked in advance.

Professor Mark Seaward, of Bradford University, will talk before launching the trail, and Angela Cox will describe his life in the Howardian villages. She and other members of the society will be located at points of interest on the trail from 2 pm-4pm. At the close of the day, a wreath will be placed on Richard Spruce's grave in Terrington churchyard.

The free trail leaflet is available from Terrington and Welburn village stores and Malton tourist information office. The leaflets were produced with a grant £350 from the Howardian Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but the rest of the enterprise was done entirely voluntarily by the society. The leaflet was written by the group and designed by Rebecca Wright at Imageworks, which is a project within Community Generation York.

Updated: 14:46 Wednesday, June 09, 2004