Dennis Ivor Morris (16 May 1924–27 July 2005) was a British-born Australian botanist.

Early life and career

Dennis Ivor Morris, born on 16 May 1924, in

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

, England, had his formative education at the

Worshipful Company of Skinners The Worshipful Company of Skinners (known as The Skinners' Company) is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. It was originally an association of those engaged in the trade of skins and furs. It was granted Royal Charter in 1327 ...

School. He received a comprehensive education, displaying a vast knowledge that spanned various fields including literature, history, and science. Morris's early adulthood was marked by his service in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Indian armies from 1942 to 1947, where he reached the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. After his military service, he engaged in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and farm work in England. In 1950, he moved to Australia, initially working on a

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

western Queensland Western Queensland encompasses the three western regions in the Australian state of Queensland: * North West Queensland, often known as Gulf Country; * Central West Queensland; and * South West Queensland. History Karuwali (also known as ...

. This was followed by a

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

job in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, before returning to Australia in 1952 to join the Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania as a surveyor. Although he had no formal training in

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

, Morris's interest and talent in the subject led him to a successful career in this field. He began as a

park ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, or forest ranger is a law enforcement person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Description "Parks" may be broadly defined by some systems in thi ...

at Mount Field for Tasmania's Scenery Preservation Board in 1954. He later managed the historic Entally House in Tasmania. In 1961, he joined the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture as a technical officer, where his responsibilities included the identification and control of agricultural

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

s. This role allowed him to develop a deep understanding of Tasmania's introduced flora. Morris's botanical career took a significant turn in the early 1970s when he partnered with renowned botanist

Winifred Curtis Winifred Mary Curtis (15 June 1905 – 14 October 2005) was a British-born Australian botanist, author and a pioneer researcher in plant embryology and cytology who played a prominent role in the department of botany at the University of Tasmani ...

. Their collaboration significantly contributed to the completion of the ''Students Flora of Tasmania'', a fundamental handbook on Tasmania's

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s and

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s. Morris brought his expertise in weeds and

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

s to this project, as well as his skill in literature review and

botanical nomenclature Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from Alpha taxonomy, taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the ...

Later years and contributions

After retiring from the Department of Agriculture in 1985, Morris devoted his time to the

Tasmanian Herbarium The Tasmanian Herbarium is a herbarium in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Its Index Herbariorum code is HO. It is a part of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The earliest plant samples in the herbarium's collection date from early European explo ...

as a volunteer. His vast knowledge and dedication were instrumental in the Herbarium's growth and success. He played an active role in various Herbarium activities, including

plant identification In biology, determination is the process of matching a specimen of an organism to a known taxon, for example identifying a plant. The term is also used in cellular biology, where it means the act of the differentiation of stem cells becoming fix ...

classes and contributions to Australia's virtual herbarium. His gardening skills were also notable, with his home garden in Fern Tree being a celebrated location for 'Open Garden' events. Morris also advised the

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service was the Australian government agency responsible for enforcing Australian quarantine laws, as part of the Department of Agriculture. Following a period operating under the name DAFF Biosecurit ...

and the Police Department on botanical matters relating to

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

and

forensics Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimina ...

Recognition and legacy

Morris's extensive contributions to Tasmanian botany were formally acknowledged when he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree by the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

in December 2003. Despite battling illness in his later years, he remained actively involved in botany until his death on 27 July 2005. He died in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, Tasmania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Dennis Ivor 1924 births 2005 deaths Australian botanists 20th-century Australian botanists 21st-century Australian botanists British emigrants to Australia People from Royal Tunbridge Wells