Nevertheless, Burke did maintain a personal collection of plants, yielding many unrecorded species. Hooker named the monotypic African genus Burkea after him, while he was also commemorated in the species' names Acacia burkei, Elephantorrhiza burkei, Hoodia burkei, and Drosera burkeana.
Despite this, Burke kept a personal collection of plants, which produced many undiscovered species. Hooker named the single-species African genus Burkea after him, and his name also appears in the names of various plant species like Acacia burkei, Elephantorrhiza burkei, Hoodia burkei, and Drosera burkeana.