Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson
Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson , also Lawrie Johnson (born June 26, 1925 in Cheltenham , New South Wales , † August 1, 1997 in Sydney ), was an Australian botanist . Its botanical author abbreviation is " LASJohnson ".
Early years
Lawrie Johnson was born the third child to accountant Algernon Sidney Johnson and his wife, Emily Margaret Johnson (née Manson) . He attended schools in Sydney and Parramatta and took an early interest in science, initially chemistry .
In 1941 he began to study botany at the University of Sydney , in the course of which he was involved in the taxonomic revision of the casuarina family . In 1948 he finished his studies.
Working life
Immediately after graduating, Johnson entered the service of the National Herbarium of New South Wales , a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. He was primarily concerned with the classification of the local plant collection, began with a compilation of the flora of New South Wales and thus made a name for himself as a systematic botanist.
In 1962 he was posted to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew , London , for one year as the Australian Botanical Liaison Officer . In 1968 he was appointed deputy chief botanist and in 1972 director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. He held this post until his retirement in 1985.
Together with Kenneth D. Hill and Don Blaxell, Johnson carried out a reorganization of the eucalyptus , which he divided into the genera Eucalyptus (almost 800 species), Corymbia (approx. 113 species) and Angophora (approx. 15 species). He examined the order of the myrtle-like and the myrtle family , particularly with regard to their inflorescences and their DNA . After his retirement he continued his work in creating a Flora of New South Wales 1990-1993.
In total, Johnson and his colleagues described four new families of vascular plants , 33 new genera and 286 new species (including those published after his death). He rearranged 395 species.
Family life
On November 18, 1950 , Lawrie Johnson Merle married Margaret Asta Hodge , a fellow student whom he met in the first semester of his studies, but who did not continue her studies. They had five children together, Christopher, Sylvia, Nicholas, Quentin and Alexander , none of whom succeeded their father in work.
Late years and death
Johnson advised the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust after his retirement and worked for the Council of the Linnean Society of New South Wales and a number of other botanical organizations such as the International Association for Plant Taxonomy .
His last trip was in January 1997 to a meeting of the Southern Connections about biota in the southern hemisphere in Valdivia , Chile, with a week-long excursion in the Andes . A few days after his return he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, from which he died on August 1, 1997.
Honors
- In 1971 he received his doctorate from the University of Sydney.
- In 1979 he was awarded the Clarke Medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales .
- Different plant species, e.g. B. Daphnanda johnsonii , were named after him.
Works (selection)
Systematic studies in the eucalypts. 7. A revision of the bloodwoods, genus Corymbia (Myrtaceae) in Telopea , Volume 6 (2-3), 1995
Web links
- Author entry and list of described plant names for Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson at the IPNI
- Flora of New South Wales (English)
- Barbara G. Biggs: Biographical Memoirs: Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson 1925–1997 . Australian Academy of Science, Sydney with photo
Individual evidence
- ↑ LAS Johnson - Botanist . Flickr. with photo
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnson, Lawrence Alexander Sidney |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnson, Lawrie |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian botanist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 26, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cheltenham , New South Wales |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 1, 1997 |
| Place of death | Sydney , New South Wales |