Joseph Maiden

Joseph Henry Maiden (25 April 1859 – 16 November 1925) was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the "Eucalyptus" genus.

Joseph Maiden was born in St John's Wood, London. He studied science at the University of London, but due to ill health he did not complete the course. As part of his treatment he was advised to take a long sea voyage, and so in 1880 he sailed for New South Wales. In 1881, Maiden was appointed first curator of the Technological Museum in Sydney, remaining there until 1896. He was much interested in the native plants, and in his early days was associated with the Rev. William Woolls in his botanical studies. In his first book, The "Useful Native Plants of Australia", published in 1889, he also acknowledges his debt to the work of Ferdinand von Mueller with whom he had been in correspondence.

In 1890 he was appointed consulting botanist to the Department of Agriculture and in 1894 was made Superintendent of Technical Education. In 1892 he published a "Bibliography of Australian Economic Botany". In 1896, Maiden was appointed Government Botanist and Director of the Botanic Gardens. He immediately set about establishing the colony's first herbarium. He had in the previous year brought out Part I of "The Flowering Plants and Ferns of New South Wales", of which other parts appeared in this and in later years. Another valuable work, the "Forest Flora of New South Wales", was published in parts between 1904 and 1924, and his "Illustrations of New South Wales Plants" began to appear in 1907. In 1909 Maiden published "Sir Joseph Banks the "father of Australia". In 1916, in collaboration with Ernst Betche, he published "A Census of New South Wales Plants", and in 1920 Maiden published Part I of "The Weeds of New South Wales".

Maiden became the recognised authority on "Acacia" and "Eucalyptus". He published about 45 papers, and his eight-volume "A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus" remained a major reference for over fifty years. He was the author of numerous species and the collector of type material for many more.

Joseph Maiden retired in 1924, and died at Turramurra, Sydney, on 16 November 1925. "Eucalyptus maidenii" is named in his honour.

ee also

* List of Australian plant species authored by Joseph Maiden

References

*Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Joseph Henry|Last=Maiden|Link=http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogMa-Mo.html#maiden1
*cite book|author=Hall, Norman|year=1978|title=Botanists of the Eucalypts|publisher=CSIRO, Melbourne|id=ISBN 0-643-00271-5
*cite web|title=Joseph Maiden|url=http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P001287b.htm|work=Bright Sparcs|accessdate=2006-05-30|publisher=Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre

Further reading

The following sources were not consulted in the writing of this article:
*cite book|author=Gilbert, Lionel Gilbert|year=2001|title=The Little Giant: The Life and Work of Joseph Henry Maiden, 1859–1925|publisher=Kardoorair Press, Armidale, New South Wales|id=ISBN 0-908244-44-4

Persondata
NAME=Maiden, Joseph Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=botanist
DATE OF BIRTH=25 April 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH=London
DATE OF DEATH=16 November 1925
PLACE OF DEATH=Turramurra, Sydney