NEWSLETTER·. No 68 $EPTEMBER 1991
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
·AtAstraliaVl S~stE?VVJatic BotaVl~ 5ocietl4- . NEWSLETTER·. No 68 $EPTEMBER 1991 'I - I •. Dodonaea heteromorpha West Price: $5.00 Registered by Australia Post Publication No. N.BH 8068. .ISSN 1034-1218 AUSTRALIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY· SOCIETY INCORPORATED Office Bearers President Dr J.G. West Australian National Herbarinni . GPO Box 1600 CANBERRA ACf 2601 Tel (06) 246 51 t'3 Fax (06} 246 5000 ' Vice President Secretary Treasurer. - Dr G.P. Quymer Dr B.J. Conn ~ Dr D~B. Foreman Queensland Herbarium National Herbarium of NSW Na,tional Herbarium of Victoria Meiers.Road Mrs Macquaries Road BirdwoOd A venue INDOOI~.OOPILL YQLD 4068 SYDNEY NSW 2000 SOUTH YARRA VIC 3141 · Tel(07) 377 9320 Tel (02) 2318131 . Tel (03} 650 9424 . Fax (07) 870 3276 Fax (02) 251 4403 Fax (03)650 5917 Councillors Dr J,A. Chappill Dr J.M. Powell' DepruromentofBornny National Herbarium of NSW University ofWestem Australia Mrs Macquaries Road NEDLANDS WA 6009 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Tel (09) 380 2212 Tel (02) 231 8139 Fax(09) 380 1001 Fax (02) 251 4403 Affiliated :Society Papua New Guinea Botanical Society Australian Botanical Liaison Officer Dr P.S. Short .. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Richmond, Surrey. TW9 3AB. ENGLAND. Tel44-81~940-1171 Fax 44-81-948-1197 Austral. Syst. Bot. Soc. Newsletter 68 (September 1991) 1 EDITORIAL Our apologies to Paul Hattersley and all of At the moment, the most common method for those readers left scratching their heads at the receiving contributions is by fax during the first ten bottom of pages 15 & 20 of the last Newsletter (see days after the deadline. While this is presumably Erratum below). Flushed with a sense of achieve an attempt by the authors to make sure that the con ment and relief, we had hardly returned from tributions make it in time, it also means that we mailing the last edition when Peter Wilson (who have to re-type them from very poor quality copy. can ·spot a typo at 20 paces) appeared, Issue 67 in Don't forget that it is easier (for us) and cheaper hand, demanding clarification. (for the Society) if contributions (especially the This is our third issue of the Newsletter, and as longer ones) are submitted on a computer disk. the materials and methods become more familiar to We will accept book reviews with gratitude at us it is definitely getting easier to produce each any time. To maintain the goodwill of the book issue. We would therefore like to offer the follow publishers (and the credibility of the Society), we ing general guidelines for contributors. need to publish these reviews as soon as possible The stated deadline for contributions is the last after receiving the free review copies. Unfortu day of the month prior to publication. We have to nately, there are still reviews outstanding from last strictly apply this deadline to large contributions year. Furthermore, any ASBS member who spots a (more than two typed pages, say), because it book of potential interest to other members and/or becomes extremely difficult to re-do the layout to would like to review a particular book, then please fit these longer contributions in. It also has to be contact us and we will try to arrange a review copy applied to those contributions appearing in the Arti for you. cles or Commentary sections. This is because they Finally, in consideration for the long-suffering appear in the first half of the Newsletter, and we author, we offer the following barbs from the pen therefore have to re-do a large part of the layout to of Samuel Clemens (who hid his writings under the accommodate late contributions. name Mark Twain):- Also, if the contribution is received early enough, then there is usually time for us to send How often we recall with regret, that Napoleon the author a print-out of the final version, so that once shot at a magazine editor and missed him and they can proof-read and/or amend it. This is defi killed a publisher. But we remember with charity, nitely an offer worth accepting, especially if we that his intentions were good. have had to do the typing. - from a letter to Henry Alden (whoever Smaller contributions, especially those appear he was), 11 November 1906 ing in the Reports or Notices sections, can usually I am not the editor of a newspaper and shall be accepted during the first two weeks of the always try to do right and be good, so that God month of publication, but we would (for obvious will not make me one. reasons) prefer people not to make a habit of -Galaxy magazine, 1870 leaving it that late. This especially applies to the Council, some of whom seem to believe that these Barbara Wiecek guidelines don't apply to them. David Morrison Erratum In any event, Chaloner's answer to the question of In the last issue of the Newsletter, an old which names should be put on a list offossil NCU, version of two of the pages (page 16 and page 20) is to include them all. in Paul Hattersley's article were inadvertently sub The final sentence on page 20 should read: stituted for the corrected final version. Conse After 1 Jan. 1995, when not all the conditions of quently, parts of two sentences were left out. valid publication have been met prior to The sentence at the bottom of page 15 should registration, the name must be resubmitted for read:- registration once these conditions have been met. 2 Austral. Syst. Bot. Soc. Newsletter 68 (September 1991) ARTICLES Cleland Memories Introduction Twidale, C.R., Tyler, M.J., Davies, M. (eds) (1986) Ideas and Endeavours. The Natural The May meeting of the Adelaide Chapter was Sciences in South Australia. Roy. Soc. S. an evening commemorating Prof. Sir John B. Aust., Adelaide. Cleland, who died 20 years ago. Cleland chose medicine for his professional career (specializing in Hansjo~rg Eichler pathology and public health), but in addition he made notable contributions to botany, ornithology, I am sending my greetings to the commemora anthropology, and conservation, mainly in South tive J.B. Cleland meeting and, having learned of it Australia. only this morning, wish to express my regret that I The main presentation of the evening was by cannot attend. I am glad that I saw mucb of J.B. his close friend, the medico-naturalist Dr Eric Cleland, and feel greatly privileged that I got to Sims; and a transcript of this talk is presented know him rather well. His manners impressed me below. The meeting was introduced by an ad hoc always as those of a perfect gentlemen. telephone message sent to the meeting via the con Prof. Cleland knew the South Australian flora vener (Dr Bill Barker) by Dr Hansjoerg Eichler exceptionally well, and with his keen eye and who, as former head (Keeper) of the State Herbar excellent memory it was not surprising that he often ium of South Australia, dealt much with Prof. picked up unusual plants. I still remember his first Cleland; and this contribution (somewhat determination request shortly after my arrival in amended) is also reproduced below. Adelaide in November 1955. It concerned the iden Cleland's daughter the ornithologist Joan tity of a little annual (only a few em high), which Paton, his grand-daughter the biochemist Barbara he had brought back from White's Well at the Head Paton, and his friend the medico-natural scientist of the Bight with the comment "What is this? I have Dr Ron Southcott also spoke briefly. Joan Paton never seen it and even do not know its family". His played a tape made in the 1960s by the family, ignorance is excused; it turned out to be a rare which included Cleland talking about the Aborigi umbellifer, Neosciadium glochidiatum (Benth.) nal trade in Duboisia (tobacco) from central Austra Domin, previously known only from Western Aus lia as far as Port Augusta, despite a nearby stand tralia and, till then, not represented in any Austra that the local Aborigines never used. lian herbarium. More information about J.B. Cleland can be Cleland's contribution to the Adelaide herbar found in the following publications:- ium is immense. Most of his collections were made Eardley, C.M., Hansford, C.G., Campbell, T.D. before the State Herbarium was established. After (1959) John Burton Cleland - A tribute on my arrival, he transferred his collections from his his eightieth birthday. Trans. Roy. Soc. S. home in batches on numerous visits to AD, as a Aust. 82: 339-344. donation to the University of Adelaide for gradual Southcott, R.V. (1968) A tribute to John Burton incorporation into the general herbarium. Previ Cleland on his ninetieth birthday. Med. J. ously, he had given many specimens and much Aust. 1: 1097. information to J.M. Black, who could not have Southcott, R.V. (1971) Obituary- John Burton written his Flora so well without Cleland's help. Cleland, Kt., C.B.E., M.D., Ch.M., Cleland travelled widely, and especially so F.R.A.C.P. 22. vi.l878-11. viii.l971. Trans. within South Australia; he always kept an eye out Roy. Soc. S. Aust. 95: 242- 247. for plants. His collections were sometimes scraps, Anonymous [E.B. Sims] (1972) Obituary. Sir but coming at the time that they did (before land John Burton Cleland, Kt., C.B.E., M.D., clearance, and when few others collected so Ch.M., F.R.A.C.P., M.C.P.A. Pathology 4: avidly), they were nevertheless valuable. He loved 159-160.