Person
Clements, Mark Alwin (1949 - )
- Born
- 1949
South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Molecular systematist, Orchidologist and Systematic botanist
Summary
Mark Clements is an expert on the orchids of the Australasian region and their associations with fungal mycorrhiza. After working for some years as a wool classer, he moved to Canberra and accepted a position at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Clements's research was into the mycorrhizal associations and seed germination of critically endangered orchids. He was the first to germinate successfully the threatened Diuris fragrantissima. His expertise resulted in an invitation to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he succeeded in propagating the near-extinct Lady Slipper Orchid. Clements was a pioneer in the molecular systematics of Australian orchids. Through his collaboration with colleagues he contributed to the creation of an orchid phylogenetic tree, tracing their spread and world-wide distribution. A major outcome of his research was a new phylogenetic classification of the Orchidaceae subfamily Orchidoideae, based on detailed studies of the embryology of the Diurideae and related primitive orchids. Clements has described over 250 new species of orchid, and made significant contributions to the curation of specimens in the Australian National Herbarium. The Australian Orchid Foundation, on the Scientific Committee of which he served for over 20 years, presented him with its Award of Honour on 2010.
Details
Chronology
- 1968 - 1974
- Career event - Trained and worked as wool classer
- 1974
- Career event - Appointed Gardener, Australian National Botanic Gardens
- 1981
- Education - BAppSc, Canberra College of Advanced Education
- 1983
- Education - Graduate Diploma of Science, Australian National University
- 1983 - 1984
- Career position - Visiting scientist, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- 1991? - 2021
- Career position - Research Scientist, Australian National Herbarium
- 1996
- Education - PhD, Australian National University
- 2010
- Award - Award of Honour, Australian Orchid Foundation
- 2016
- Award - Westonbirt Orchid Medal, Royal Horticulture Society, United Kingdom
- 2021 -
- Career position - Honorary Research Associate, Australian National Herbarium
- 2021
- Life event - Retired
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Clements, M. A., Catalogue of Australian Orchidaceae (Essendon, Vic.: Reed for Australian Orchid Foundation, 1969), 160 pp. Details
- Clements, M. A., Preliminary checklist of Australian Orchidaceae (Canberra: Department of the Capital Territory, 1982), 216 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Clements, M. A., 'Molecular phylogenetic systematics of the Dendrobiinae (Orchidaceae), with emphasis on Dendrobium sect. Pedilonum', Telopea, 10 (1) (2003), 247-98. Details
- Clements, M. A. and Jones, D. L., 'A preliminary taxonomic review of Grastidium Blume and Eriopexis (Schltr.) Brieger (Orchidaceae)', Lasianthera, 1 (2) (1997), 1-96. Details
Resources
- Australian Orchid Foundation, 'Clements, Mark Alwin (1949 - )', Award of Honour, Auatralian Orchid Foundation, Yarra Glen, Vic., 2024, https://australianorchidfoundation.org.au/mark-clements-aoh/. https://australianorchidfoundation.org.au/award-of-honour/. Details
Resource Sections
- Gartner, Steve, 'Dr Mark Clements', in CSIROpedia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, 2021. Details
See also
- Fagg, Murray, 'Clements, Mark Alwin (1949 - )', Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators, Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH), 2010, https://anbg.gov.au/biography/clements-mark-alwin.html. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 27 February 2025