William D. Francis
Encyclopedia
William Douglas Francis was a notable Australia
n 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
. It was here that he was able to satisfy his strong interest in natural history while helping his father and brother on the farm.
In 1919 he was appointed Assistant Government Botanist at the Queensland Herbarium
. By 1950 he was appointed Government Botanist. He retired in 1954 and died five years later. He contributed enormously to the classification and identification of Australian rainforest
species and is probably best remembered for his book Australian Rainforest Trees. First published in 1929, it has since gone through numerous reprints. An arboretum
established at Kin Kin in the 1990s is dedicated to his memory.
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...
n botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. Born in Bega, New South Wales
Bega, New South Wales
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.-Place name:One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground"....
, at the age of 17 he moved with his father Alfred, and brother Frederick, from Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, where he attended Wollongong Superior Public School, to Kin Kin, Queensland
Kin Kin, Queensland
Kin Kin is a village that lies between Pomona to the south, and Gympie to the north, Queensland, Australia.The name comes from the Aboriginal kauin kauin meaning red soil, another source suggests it is the indigenous name for a species of small black ants that inhabit the area...
. It was here that he was able to satisfy his strong interest in natural history while helping his father and brother on the farm.
In 1919 he was appointed Assistant Government Botanist at the Queensland Herbarium
Queensland Herbarium
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...
. By 1950 he was appointed Government Botanist. He retired in 1954 and died five years later. He contributed enormously to the classification and identification of Australian rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
species and is probably best remembered for his book Australian Rainforest Trees. First published in 1929, it has since gone through numerous reprints. An arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
established at Kin Kin in the 1990s is dedicated to his memory.