Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
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 ...
, specialising in
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
.
Byrnes was born 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 ...
on 18 December 1922. He served in the
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and following the war, in 1946 gained a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
from 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 ...
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
from 1966 to 1973 then began at the
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 ...
. He specialised in the
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
Combretaceae
The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combre ...
and
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...
and his plant collections are stored in the Queensland and
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
herbaria
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 ...
.
In 1986, Byrnes retired to live at Bingil Bay where he established an
arboretum
An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...
in Ross Overton Park at nearby Mission Beach and acted as coordinator for a local environment group called "C4". After his death, the arboretum was named the Norman Byrnes Arboretum in his honour.
He is the author of ''A revision of Combretaceae in Australia'' and of papers formally describing plants including ''
Lophopetalum arnhemicum
''Lophopetalum'' is a genus of plants in the family Celastraceae.
Species include:
* '' Lophopetalum arnhemicum'' Byrnes
* ''Lophopetalum beccarianum'' Pierre
* '' Lophopetalum duperreanum'' Pierre
* '' Lophopetalum floribundum'' Wight
* '' Lop ...
'', ''
Melaleuca biconvexa
''Melaleuca biconvexa'' is a tree or shrub in the myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to coastal areas of New South Wales. The leaves have a distinctive, wing-like shape and the flowers are in white or cream-coloured heads a ...
'', ''
Melaleuca punicea
''Melaleuca punicea'' is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the Northern Territory in Australia. Some of the characteristics of this species make it difficult to classify at the genus level. After it was originally descri ...
'' and ''
Verticordia verticillata
''Verticordia verticillata'', commonly known as tropical featherflower or whorled-leaved featherflower is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area in the north of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. I ...
''. The genus ''
Neobyrnesia
''Neobyrnesia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rutaceae
The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rue and plant species including ''
Goodenia byrnesii
''Goodenia byrnesii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is prostrate to low-lying herb with short-lived, lance-shaped leaves at the base, egg-shaped to oblong, toothed stem leaves, ...
'' and ''
Grevillea byrnesii
''Grevillea byrnesii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a shrub with broadly egg-shaped leaves and orange flowers.
Description
''Grevillea byrnesii'' is a shrub that typica ...