Person

Wilson, Paul Graham (1928 - 2024)

Born
2 January 1928
Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Died
29 July 2024
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Occupation
Taxonomic botanist

Summary

Paul Wilson was one of Australia's leading plant taxonomists, specialising in the families Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae (of which he became an acknowledged expert) and Rutaceae. Much of his published work stands as the first comprehensive revisions of the groups on which he worked. Wilson's early career included periods as a laboratory assistant in the anatomy department of Guy's Hospital in London, and after graduating in science from Chelsea Polytechnic, several years teaching biology and chemistry at a boarding school on North Derbyshire. After five years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the Australian and American sections, Wilson migrated to South Australia in 1958 to become the first Botanist appointed to the South Australian Herbarium. During his time there Wilson made a major contribution to its growth, participating in collecting expeditions and depositing over 3,500 specimens. In 1967 he was appointed Botanist to the Western Australian Herbarium where he spent the remainder of his career, including as Research Associate for more than 20 years after retiring. As in South Australia, he continued his involvement in collecting expeditions and contributed significant numbers of specimens to the Herbarium. Many of his later publications were illustrated by his wife, Margaret Wilson (née Menadue). The second issue of the second volume of the Herbarium's journal Nuytsia was dedicated to Wilson on the occasion of his retirement.

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Details

Chronology

1929
Life event - Moved with his family to the United Kingdom
1946 -
Career position - Laboratory assistant, Anatomy Department, Guy's Hospital, London
1953 - 1958
Career position - Botanist, Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
1958
Life event - Migrated to South Australia with his family
1958 - 1965
Career position - Botanist, State Herbarium of South Australia
1961 - 1962
Career position - Acting Keeper, State Herbarium of South Australia
1965 - 1993
Career position - Botanist, Western Australian Herbarium
1968
Education - MSc, University of Adelaide
1980 - 1982
Career position - Member, Editorial Committee, Flora of Australia
1993
Life event - Retired
1993 - 2017
Career position - Research Associate, Western Australian Herbarium

Related People

Published resources

Books

  • Semeniuk, V., Kenneally, K. F. and Wilson, P. G., Mangroves of Western Australia (Perth: Western Australian Naturalists Club, 1978), 92 pp. Details

Book Sections

  • Wilson, P. G., 'Chenopodiaceae' in Flora of Australia, volume 4: Phytolaccaceae to Chenopodiaceae, A. S. George, ed. (Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1984), pp. 81-3330. Details

Journal Articles

  • Lepschi, Brendan, Maslin, Bruce, Barker, William (Bill) R., Wilson, Annette J. G., George, Alex and Wilson, Margaret A., 'The indefatigable botanist: Paul Graham Wilson (January 1928 - July 2024)', Australasian Systematic Botany Society newsletter, 201 (2024), 6-31. Details
  • Marchant, Neville, 'Dedication to Paul Graham Wilson', Nuytsia, 12 (2) (1998), 161, https://doi.org/10.58828/nuy00290. Details
  • Shepherd, Kelly, 'It's hard to say goodbye to a personal hero', Australasian Systematic Botany Society newsletter, 201 (2024), 32-3. Details
  • Wilson, P. G., 'A taxonomic revision of the genus Correa (Rutaceae)', Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 85 (1961), 21-53. Details
  • Wilson, P. G., 'A revision of the Australian species of Salicornieae (Chenopodiaceae)', Nuytsia, 3 (1) (1980), 3-154, https://doi.org/10.58828/nuy00052. Details
  • Wilson, P. G., 'A taxonomic revision of the tribe Chenopodieae (Chenopodiaceae) in Australia', Nuytsia, 4 (2) (1983), 135-262, https://doi.org/10.58828/nuy00074. Details
  • Wilson, P. G., 'The early collecting numbers of Charles A. Gardner.', Australian Systematic Botany Society newsletter, 54 (1988), 4-6. Details
  • Wilson, Paul G., 'A taxonomic revision of the genera Crowea, Eriostemon and Phebalium', 1 (1) (1970), 3-155, https://doi.org/10.58828/nuy00001. Details

See also

Helen Cohn

Created: 13 May 2025

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