Queensland Herbarium
Encyclopedia
The Queensland Herbarium is situated at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha
, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
. It is part of Queensland’s Environmental Protection Agency. It is responsible for discovering, describing, monitoring, modelling, surveying, naming and classifying Queensland’s plants, and is the focus for information and research on the state’s plants and plant communities.
as Superintendent of Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens
, four years before Queensland separated from New South Wales
as a colony. In 1859, with Separation, Hill was appointed Colonial Botanist as well as remaining Director of the Gardens, a position he was to hold until 1881.
At the time the main function of colonial botanic gardens was usually to facilitate the introduction of suitable economic plants, although native plants would be collected as well. However, Hill’s successor as Colonial Botanist was Frederick Manson Bailey
, an established botanist already in charge of the herbarium at the Queensland Museum. Bailey remained in office for 34 years, until his death in 1915, and energetically worked at building up the herbarium collection through correspondence, exchange and numerous expeditions throughout the state.
Since 1855 the herbarium collection has been housed in five different places, and its botanical library in six. In 1998 the Herbarium moved to its current site within the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. The number of plant specimens in the collection is over 650,000, mainly from Queensland.
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are located 7 km from the city of Brisbane in Toowong, Queensland, Australia, at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain, Mount Coot-tha.-History:...
, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is part of Queensland’s Environmental Protection Agency. It is responsible for discovering, describing, monitoring, modelling, surveying, naming and classifying Queensland’s plants, and is the focus for information and research on the state’s plants and plant communities.
Origins
The history of the Herbarium as an institution starts in 1855 with the appointment of Walter HillWalter Hill (garden curator)
Walter Hill was the first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, located at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Personal life:...
as Superintendent of Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
The City Botanic Gardens is located on a point known as Gardens Point on the Brisbane River adjacent to the central business district of the city of Brisbane...
, four years before Queensland separated from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
as a colony. In 1859, with Separation, Hill was appointed Colonial Botanist as well as remaining Director of the Gardens, a position he was to hold until 1881.
At the time the main function of colonial botanic gardens was usually to facilitate the introduction of suitable economic plants, although native plants would be collected as well. However, Hill’s successor as Colonial Botanist was Frederick Manson Bailey
Frederick Manson Bailey
Frederick Manson Bailey CMG was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland.-Early life:...
, an established botanist already in charge of the herbarium at the Queensland Museum. Bailey remained in office for 34 years, until his death in 1915, and energetically worked at building up the herbarium collection through correspondence, exchange and numerous expeditions throughout the state.
Since 1855 the herbarium collection has been housed in five different places, and its botanical library in six. In 1998 the Herbarium moved to its current site within the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. The number of plant specimens in the collection is over 650,000, mainly from Queensland.
Herbarium directors
Over the years, the Herbarium has gone through numerous departmental reorganizations and the officer in charge has been known by a variety of titles, from Colonial Botanist through Government Botanist, Director and Chief Botanist:- 1855-1881 - Walter HillWalter Hill (garden curator)Walter Hill was the first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, located at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Personal life:...
- 1881-1915 - Frederick Manson Bailey
- 1915-1917 – John Frederick Bailey
- 1917-1950 – Cyril Tenison White
- 1950-1954 – William Douglas FrancisWilliam D. FrancisWilliam Douglas Francis was a notable Australian botanist. Born in Bega, New South Wales, at the age of 17 he moved with his father Alfred, and brother Frederick, from Wollongong, New South Wales, where he attended Wollongong Superior Public School, to Kin Kin, Queensland...
- 1954-1976 – Selwyn L. Everist
- 1976-1990 – Robert W. Johnson
- 1990-1994 – (no head)
- 1994 - Gordon P. Guymer