Dierdré "Dee" Anne Snijman is a South African

botanist 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 wo ...

and

plant taxonomist Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, identifies, describes, classifies, and names plants. It is one of the main branches of taxonomy (the science that finds, describes, classifies, and names living things). Plant taxonomy is closely allied ...

who is notable for studying and writing extensively on

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

s. She has described over 120 species and has written comprehensive works on South African flora. She received the 1997 Herbert Medal from the

International Bulb Society The International Bulb Society was founded on May 31, 1933 and is an international society dedicated to informing the public about the science, cultivation, conservation and botany of geophytic plants, commonly known as bulbs. It began in 1933 a ...

for her research on '' Amaryllis''. March lilly grave 1

Early life and career

Snijman was born in a small town east of Johannesburg, South Africa and early on adopted the name "Dee" as easier to spell and pronounce. She was educated at Blessed Imelda Convent in Brakpan and at

Damelin College Damelin is a private college founded by Benjamin Damelin in 1943. Damelin has 17 campuses and is owned by Educor (the Education Investment Corporation Limited) group. Damelin offers degrees, diplomas and other higher qualifications, but is c ...

in Johannesburg. Her initial interest in South African flowers was sparked by her parents' garden and the illustrations by Cythna Letty and Aruiol Batten. She completed her BSc (Botany and Mathematics) at the University of Natal. She obtained her MSc in 1973 and at the same time a Diploma in Education. Teaching proved to be not to her liking as proven by "a year of teaching unruly children." In 1974 she joined the Compton herbarium at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where she encountered the work of several South African botanists, including

Robert Harold Compton Robert Harold Compton (6 August 1886 in Tewkesbury – 11 July 1979 in Cape Town) was a South African botanist. The Compton Herbarium at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which he founded in Cape Town in 1939, was named in his honour. C ...

. W.F. Barker had completed a collection of monocots there prior to her retirement.

Peter Goldblatt Peter Goldblatt (born 1943) is a South African botanist, working principally in the United States. Life Goldblatt was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 8, 1943. His undergraduate studies (B.Sc.) were undertaken at the University ...

and John Rourke guided her early work. She and Pauline Perry made many field trips in the Southern African winter-rainfall region. In 1984 she published the Genus Haemanthus in conjunction with the botanical artist

Ellaphie Ward-Hilhorst Johanna Ellaphie Ward-Hilhorst (10 July 1920 Pretoria – 30 June 1994 Cape Town) was a South African botanical artist. She received her early education in Pretoria. After matriculating from Pretoria Girls' High School she started work in 1939 ...

, and this was followed work on

Hessea ''Hessea'' is a genus of bulb-forming plants in the Amaryllis family native to Namibia and South Africa. The genus name commemorates C. H. F. Hesse (1772–1832), who resided in Cape Town from 1800 to 1817. ;Species ;formerly included Severa ...

and Strumaria, which formed part of her Ph.D. degree.

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snijman, Dierdré Anne Living people South African women botanists 20th-century South African botanists Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century South African women scientists 21st-century South African botanists 21st-century South African women scientists University of Natal alumni University of Cape Town alumni