Nancy Tyson Burbidge (5 August 1912 – 4 March 1977) was an Australian systemic
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 ...
, conservationist and
herbarium
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...
curator.
Early life and training
Burbidge was born in
Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton is a town in the Metropolitan borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds. It is a ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
; her father, William Burbidge, was an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
clergyman and immigrated to Australia in 1913 when he was appointed to a parish in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. She was educated at
Katanning (Kobeelya) Church of England Girls' School – founded by her mother Nancy Eleanor. She completed her schooling in 1922 when she graduated from
Bunbury Senior High School
Bunbury Senior High School is a comprehensive public co-educational high day school, located in Bunbury, a regional centre in the South West region, south of Perth, Western Australia.
History
The school was established in 1918 and in 2017 ha ...
, and went on to study at the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
. She completed her BSc in 1937, and afterwards received a prize to travel to England, where she spent 18 months at the
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
. While at Kew she worked on a revision of the Australian
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
genus ''
Enneapogon
''Enneapogon'' is a cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family.
They are also called bottle washers or pappus grass. These perennial grass species are found in tropical and warm temperate areas. They have small, narrow inflorescences.
; ...
''. When Nancy returned to Australia she continued her study of
Australian plants
The Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) (ANPSA) is a federation of seven state-based member organisations for people interested in Australia's native flora, both in aspects of conservation and in cultivation.
A national conference is h ...
through the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
, completing her MSc. in 1945.
Career
In 1943 Burbidge was appointed assistant agronomist at the
Waite Agricultural Research Institute
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, where she started working on native pasture species for arid and semi-arid South Australia. She was appointed to the new position of systematic botanist at the
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...
Division of Plant Industry,
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 ...
in 1946. At CSIRO she worked on organising and extending the herbarium, first as a research scientist and then as curator and was responsible for laying the foundations of the Herbarium Australiense, later the
National Australian Herbarium. She wrote Key to the
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n species of ''
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
'' L'Hér. but had not specialised on the genus. Her professional interest in systemic botany was reflected by her tenure as secretary of the systematic botany committee of the
from 1948 to 1952. She also edited ''Australasian Herbarium News'' until her until 1953, when she took a years leave to be the
Australian Botanical Liaison Officer
Australian Botanical Liaison Officer was a secondment position, held for up to twelve months by an Australian botanist (or expert in Australian botany) at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, England in the United Kingdom. The position was c ...
at the
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
herbarium. While at Kew she photographed and indexed
type specimen
In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...
s of Australian plants and made
microfilm
Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...
copies of
Robert Brown's notebooks for Australian herbaria.
[Orchard, A. E. (1999). "A history of systemic botany in Australia". In A. E. Orchard ed. ''Flora of Australia'' Volume 1, 2nd edition. ABRS/CSIRO ]
When she returned to Australia in 1954 she began a very productive period of her career. She wrote an extensive paper "The
phytogeography
Phytogeography (from Greek φυτόν, ''phytón'' = "plant" and γεωγραφία, ''geographía'' = "geography" meaning also distribution) or botanical geography is the branch of biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution o ...
of the Australian region" which was published in the ''Australian Journal of Botany'' in 1960 and contributed to the award of her DSc by the University of Western Australia in 1961. Her ''Dictionary of Australian Plant Genera'' was published in 1963, and she completed studies of the plant groups ''
Nicotiana
''Nicotiana'' () is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs in the Family (biology), family Solanaceae, that is Native plant, indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa and the South Pacific. Various ''Nicotiana'' species, common ...
'', ''
Sesbania
''Sesbania'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus found in tribe Sesbanieae. Riverhemp is a common name for plants in this genus. Notable species include the rattlebox ('' Sesbania punicea''), spiny sesb ...
'' and ''
Helichrysum
The genus ''Helichrysum'' consists of an estimated 600 species of flowering plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The type species is ''Helichrysum orientale''. They often go by the names everlasting, immortelle, and strawflower. The name ...
''. Many of her publications included her own drawings. After resigning her position as curator of the herbarium she went on to be heavily involved in the development of the ''
Flora of Australia
The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 30,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana, ...
'' series, directing the project from 1973 to 1977.
[Heywood, A. (2002)]
Burbidge, Nancy Tyson (1912–1977)
Australian Women's Archives In addition to her books, she also wrote over 50 papers on phytogeography, ecology, botanical history and Australian plant genera.
For her contributions to botany she was awarded the 1971
Clarke Medal
The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, for distinguished work in the Natural sciences.
The medal is named in honour of the Reverend William Bran ...
for her achievements in taxonomic botany and ecology by the
Royal Society of New South Wales
The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society.
The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...
and made a member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in 1976.
[Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research]
Nancy Tyson Burbidge
/ref>
Burbidge was also interested in conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
. She was a founding member of the National Parks Association of the Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
in 1960, and twice served as its president. She was prominent in the lobbying for the establishment of national parks in the ACT including Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a protected area, on the fringe of Namadgi National Park. Tidbinbilla is a short drive from the capital city of Australia, Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.
The nature reserve consists of a large val ...
and Namadgi National Park
Namadgi National Park is a protected area in the south-west of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately southwest of Canberra, and occupies approximately 46 percent of ...
; both of which were established following her death. She was also a member of the Australian Federation of University Women
Australian Graduate Women (AGW), founded in 1922, is the national organisation for Graduate Women in Australia. Previously known as the Australian Federation of University Women until 2009 and the Australian Federation of Graduate Women until Ap ...
, serving as president of the Canberra branch from 1959 to 1961, of the Pan-Pacific and South East Asia Women's Association from 1957 to 1958 and as international secretary between 1961 and 1968.
Recognition
For her contributions to botany Burbidge was awarded the 1971 Clarke Medal
The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, for distinguished work in the Natural sciences.
The medal is named in honour of the Reverend William Bran ...
for her achievements in taxonomic botany and ecology by the Royal Society of New South Wales
The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society.
The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...
and made a member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in 1976.
Burbidge's contributions are commemorated by an altar-frontal, showing banksia
''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...
s and honey-eaters, in St Michael's Anglican Church, Mount Pleasant, Western Australia
Mount Pleasant is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within Wajuk country, and the City of Melville, on the Canning River. It is bounded by Canning Highway to the north, the Canning River
The Canning River (Djarlgarra in Nyunga ...
, and by the Nancy T. Burbidge Memorial, an amphitheatre in 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 ...
in Canberra. The ''Australian Plant Name Index'' is dedicated to her memory and a peak in Namadgi is named Mount Burbidge
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England
* Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
in her honour. '' Acacia burbidgeae'' also known as Burbidge's wattle is also named in her honour.
The 'Nancy T. Burbidge medal' is presented annually by the Australian Systematic Botanists Society for outstanding contribution to taxonomic and systematic botanical work in Australia.
The Australian National Herbarium
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 ...
holds over 7000 specimens collected by Burbidge. Other herbaria in Australia holding her collections include Western Australian Herbarium
The Western Australian Herbarium is the State Herbarium in Perth, Western Australia.
It is part of the State government's Department of Parks and Wildlife, and has responsibility for the description and documentation of the flora of Western Austr ...
, National Herbarium of New South Wales
The National Herbarium of New South Wales was established in 1853. The Herbarium has a collection of more than 1.4 million plant specimens, making it the second largest collection of pressed, dried plant specimens in Australia,Thiers, B. ...
, 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 ...
, State Herbarium of South Australia
The State Herbarium of South Australia, sometimes called the South Australian Herbarium, and having the herbarium code, AD, is located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is one of several State and Commonwealth herbaria in Australia. The Depart ...
, Queensland Herbarium
The Queensland Herbarium ( Index Herbariorum code: BRI) is situated at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of Queensland's Department of Environment and Science. It is responsible for disc ...
, Northern Territory Herbarium.
Standard author abbreviation
Publications
*''The Wattles of the Australian Capital Territory'' (1961)
*''Dictionary of Australian Plant Genera: Gymnosperms and Angiosperms'' (1963)
*''Australian Grasses'', 2 volumes (1966–1970)
*''Flora of the Australian Capital Territory'' with Max Gray (1970)
*''Plant Taxonomic Literature in Australian Libraries'' (1978)
References
External links
Nancy T Burbidge Memorial Amphitheatre, Australian National Botanic Gardens
Photograph of Nancy Burbidge
(seated on right) from the National Archives of Australia
The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...
.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burbidge, Nancy Tyson
1912 births
1977 deaths
20th-century Australian botanists
Women botanists
Members of the Order of Australia
Australian Botanical Liaison Officers
Australian conservationists
Scientists from Western Australia
People from Cleckheaton
English emigrants to Australia
Australian women scientists
20th-century British women scientists
20th-century Australian women
University of Western Australia alumni