Janet Louise Cosh (21 April 1901 – 22 October 1989) was an amateur botanist, botanical collector and secondary school teacher. The Janet Cosh Herbarium at the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...

is named in her honour.

Life

Janet Louise Cosh born in

Ashfield Ashfield may refer to: People * Ashfield (surname) Places Australia * Ashfield, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Municipality of Ashfield, a former local government area in Sydney ** Electoral district of Ashfield, a former electoral dist ...

, New South Wales on 21 April 1901. She was the daughter of Louise (née Calvert) and Dr John Cosh. An only child, she was educated at Normanhurst School for Girls (1914–1918) before studying English, history and classics at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. After graduation she returned to Normanhurst School to teach. Although not trained as a botanist, Cosh collected 1,600 specimens and made nearly 2,000 botanical illustrations of plants she found in the Southern Highlands and

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

regions of New South Wales.

Legacy

The Janet Cosh Herbarium at the University of Wollongong was established by a bequest in her will. It houses her specimens, illustrations and other materials including field notebooks, photographs and maps. The position of curator of her eponymous herbarium was funded by her bequest until it was exhausted in 2020, but the herbarium itself is supported by the university. Another bequest enabled the creation of the Janet Cosh Memorial Room at the visitors centre at Fitzroy Falls through the

Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is an Australian not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation that was incorporated on 29 June 1970. Its purpose is to foster the protection of Australia's native plants, animals and cultural heritag ...

. The room holds specimens of local flora and copies of some of Cosh's botanical illustrations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosh, Janet 1901 births 1989 deaths University of Sydney alumni 20th-century Australian botanists