Person
Filson, Rex Bertram (1930 - )
- Born
- 16 March 1930
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Lichenologist
Summary
Rex Filson was the first lichenologist apppointed to any Australian Herbarium. It was while working as a carpenter with the Australian Antarctic Division that his interest in lichens was stimulated. He became Lichenologist at the National Herbarium of Victoria in 1970. The Herbarium has an unrivalled collection of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic lichens as a result of Filson's visits to Antarctica and Macquarie Island. These collections run to over 10,800 specimens. In his research Filson concentrated on the family Parmeliaceae. In 1976 he was given curatorial responsibility for the Herbarium's bryophyte collections. He published nearly 60 books and papers, many illustrated with his own drawings. These drawings are now in the Library of the Herbarium. The lichen genus Rexiella (Cladoniaceae) was named in his honour.
Details
Chronology
- 1943 - 1961
- Career position - Worked mainly as a carpenter in various parts of Australia
- 1961 - 1962
- Career position - Carpenter with the Antarctic Division, Department of Science in Antarctica
- 1963 - 1964
- Career position - Carpenter and Biologist with the Antarctic Division in Victoria
- 1964
- Career position - Biologist with the Maud Gibson Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne
- 1964 - 1970
- Career position - Seeds collector, National Herbarium of Victoria
- 1970 - 1975
- Career position - Lichenologist, National Herbarium of Victoria
- 1971
- Award - Churchill Fellowship
- 1975 - 1980
- Career position - Technical Officer, National Herbarium of Victoria
- 1979
- Education - Master of Science (MSc), Monash University in Victoria
- 1980 - 1988
- Career position - Senior Botanist, National Herbarium of Victoria
- 1982 - 1983
- Career position - Australian Botanical Liaison Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- 1988
- Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), Monash University
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Filson, Rex B., The lichens and mosses of MacRobertson Land (Melbourne: Antarctic Division, Department of External Affairs, 1966), 169 pp. Details
- Filson, Rex B., Checklist of Australian lichens (Melbourne: National Herbarium of Victoria, 1983), 123 pp. Details
- Filson, Rex B. and Rogers, R. W., Lichens of South Australia (Adelaide: Government Printer, 1979), 197 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Filson, Rex B., 'History of Australian lichenology' in Flora of Australia. volume 54 : lichens - introduction, George, Alexander S., ed. (Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1992), pp. 2-10. Details
Journal Articles
- Filson, Rex B., 'A revision of the lichen genus Cladia Nyl.', Journal of the Hattori Botanical Club, 49 (1981), 1-75. Details
- Filson, Rex B., 'A contribution to the genus Parmelia (Lichens) in southern Australia', Australian Journal of Botany, 30 (1982), 511-82. Details
- McClellan, D., 'Rex Filson, lichenologist', Botanic magazine, 3 (1988), 15. Details
- Smith, Val, 'Biographical sketch - Rex Bertram Filson (1930 - )', New Zealand Botanical Society newsletter, 149 (2022), 19-20. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21339388. Details
- 'Filson, Rex Bertram (1930-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1473783. Details
Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn
Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 13 February 2024