Diane Mary Bridson (born 1942) is a British botanist.

Biography

Bridson entered the Herbarium at

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...

in 1963 starting as an assistant in the African section, working on

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

, eventually becoming a Principal Scientific Officer. She was Assistant Keeper for a couple of years and retired in 2002. She was senior tutor on Kew's 'International Diploma Course in Herbarium Techniques' and was co-editor of The Herbarium handbook, first published in 1989. She has published extensively on Rubiaceae, with a particular focus on

Coffea ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor vario ...

, including the account for Flora of Tropical East Africa. '' Coffea bridsoniae'' A.P.Davis & Mvungi; ''

Keetia bridsoniae ''Keetia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It consists of climbers or scrambling shrubs, rarely small trees. Distribution The genus has a wide distribution area and occurs in tropical and southern Africa. Taxonomy It was ...

'' Jongkind; ''

Psilanthus bridsoniae ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor vario ...

'' Sivar., S.D.Biju & P.Mathew; ''

Psychotria bridsoniae ''Psychotria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It contains 1,582 species and is therefore one of the largest genera of flowering plants. The genus has a pantropical distribution and members of the genus are small understor ...

'' A.P.Davis & Govaerts and ''

Rytigynia bridsoniae ''Rytigynia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in tropical and southern Africa. The genera ''Rytigynia'' and '' Fadogia'' form a strongly supported clade but neither of these genera is monophyletic. Distribut ...

'' Verdc. are named for her. Bridson has lived in Ham, Richmond for over 50 years and is active in the Friends of Ham Lands group, where she leads Nature Safaris. Born Diane Sheppard she married Gavin Bridson (1936-2008) in 1963.

Selected publications

* ''Flora of tropical East Africa. Bixaceae'' (1975). Bridson, Diane Mary; Polhill, Roger Marcus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew *'' Flore des plantes ligneuses du Rwanda.'' (1982). G. Troupin, Diane M. Bridson. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale * Studies in Coffea and Psilanthus for part 2 of ‘Flora of Tropical East Africa’: Rubiaceae. Bridson, D.M. (1982). Kew Bull. 36: 817–860. *''Flora of Egypt. Family 80. l, Vahliaceae.'' (1983). Bridson, Diane Mary *''Flora of tropical East Africa. Rubiaceae. Part 2.'' (1988). Bridson, Diane Mary; Verdcourt, Bernard; Polhill, Roger Marcus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 9789061913375 *''The Herbarium handbook.'' (1989). Diane M Bridson, Leonard Forman. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. *''Flora of tropical East Africa. Rubiaceae. Part 3.'' (1991). Verdcourt, Bernard; Bridson, Diane Mary; Polhill, Roger Marcus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. () *''Rubiaceae, pt 2. Flora Zambesiaca'', 5(2). Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. (1998). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 211–377. *''Flora Zambesiaca'', 5(3): 379–720. Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. (2004). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

References

1942 births Living people British women botanists Botanists active in Kew Gardens {{UK-botanist-stub