Person

Kennedy, Mary Bozzom (1838 - 1915)

Born
7 September 1838
Castleheads Station, Burrowra, New South Wales, Australia
Died
10 December 1915
Malvern, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Botanical collector
Alternative Names
  • Hume, Mary Bozzom (married name)

Summary

Mary Kennedy was a plant collector who, in the 1880s, lived with her husband and children on Wonnaminta Station, north of Broken Hill. Her main collecting locations were the Station and surrounding areas, including the Barrier Range, the Darling River and Wilcannia. Kennedy was notable for recording the Aboriginal names of the plants she collected. Among her collections were several type specimens. Kennedy sent her specimens to Ferdinand von Mueller, the Victorian Government Botanist, at the Botanical Museum of Melbourne: over 550 specimens are now in the National Herbarium of Victoria. Members of her family, including her husband Robert and daughters Jessie Ann Cotter and Miss E. Kennedy, also collected specimens. The species Grevillea kennedyana (Proteaceae) was named by Mueller in her honour.

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Details

Chronology

1858
Life event - Married Robert Henry Kennedy
1880
Life event - Moved to Wonnaminta Station, north of Broken Hill, New South Wales
1885 - 1889
Life event - Collected plant specimens in western New South Wales

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Published resources

See also

Helen Cohn

Created: 20 November 2025, Last modified: 26 November 2025

EOAS ID: biogs/P007922b.htm

This Edition: 2026 February - 1926 Centenaries
Kooyang - Gariwerd calendar - Late summer: late January to late March - season of eels
Reference: https://www.bom.gov.au/resources/indigenous-weather-knowledge/indigenous-seasonal-calendars/gariwerd-calendar#bom-anchor-list__item-kooyang-season-of-eels

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