David Lloyd Jones (born 1944) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

horticultural botanist and the author of many books and papers, especially on Australian orchids. Jones was born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and in his youth was a student at Burnley Horticultural College, then the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, graduating with the degree of

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture The Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSAg) or the Bachelor of Agriculture (BAg) is the undergraduate academic degree awarded by tertiary faculty of agriculture. The program is typically four years of study at postsecondary level. In Canada, th ...

. He was employed for 14 years by the Victorian Department of Agriculture where he helped develop programs involving the nutrient requirements of Australian native plants. He later owned several commercial nurseries. In 1972 his first description of an orchid, ''

Pterostylis aestiva ''Pterostylis aestiva'', commonly known as the long-tongued summer greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flower ...

'', was published, then in 1978, his first book, ''Australian Ferns and Fern Allies'', written with Stephen Clemesha, was published. In 1987 Jones worked first as a horticultural research officer at the

Australian National Botanic Gardens The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in , Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Established in 1949, the Gardens is administered by the Australian Government's Departme ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

and a year later began an intensive study of the taxonomy of Australian plant groups, especially orchids. From 1994 he worked as a research scientist in the Orchid Research Group at the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research until his retirement in 2007. Jones facilitated a cooperation with groups of both professional and amateur botanists which has led to the description of many new species. Jones has travelled extensively and visited many remote areas of Australia in the search for new orchid species. He is the author of more than 350 papers describing new species of

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

, 18 of

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...

s, as well as of other groups including the fern genus '' Revwattsia'', and has published many books on Australian plants. He is described by fellow botanist,

Mark Alwin Clements Mark Alwin Clements (b. 1949) is an Australian botanist and orchidologist. He obtained his doctorate at the Australian National University defending his thesis entitled ''Reproductive Biology in relation to phylogeny of the Orchidaceae, espe ...

as "without doubt one of the outstanding botanists of our time" and by Rob Cross and Roger Spencer, horticultural botanists at the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanic gardens across two sites–Melbourne and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. It extends across ...

, as "probably the most prolific horticultural botanist that Australia has produced".

Bibliography

*Jones, D.L., ''A complete guide to native orchids of Australia, including the island territories'' New Holland Publishing (2006) *Jones, D.L., ''Palms throughout the world'' Reed Books (1995) *Jones, David L.,'' Palmiers du monde'' KÖNEMANN (2000) *Jones, D.L., ''Cycads of the world'' Reed Books (1993) *Jones, D.L., ''Palms in Australia'' Reed New Holland (2000) *Elliot, W. Rodger & Jones, D.L., ''Encyclopaedia of Australian plants suitable for cultivation'' Lothian Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd. (1980) *Jones, D.L., ''Native Orchids of Australia'' Reed Books (1988) *Jones, D.L. & Elliot, W. Rodger, Lothian Pub. Co. (1986) ''Pests, diseases and ailments of Australian plants, with suggestions for their control'' Reed Books (1993)

Honours

* (

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

) ''

Diuris jonesii ''Diuris jonesii'', commonly known as Dunsborough donkey orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has large, yellow, brown and mauve flowers and is found in near-coastal areas between Dunsborough ...

'' C.J.French and G.Brockman

References

External links

1944 births 20th-century Australian botanists Living people 21st-century Australian botanists Orchidologists {{Australia-botanist-stub