Bastow, Richard Austin   (1840 - 1920)

Born Edinburgh, Scotland, 14 May 1839; died St Kilda, Melbourne, Vic, 14 May 1920

Architectural draughtsman, had a flair for cryptogamic botany and claimed that his illustrated "Victorian Hepaticae" (Vic. Nat., Sept., 1914) was the pioneer paper in this field for the State.

"Mr. P. Bibby of the National Herbarium, South Yarra, is at present revising our knowledge of these neglected but very fascinating and often highly odorous plants." Willis !

Source: Willis, J.H. (1949) Botanical pioneers in Victoria-II. Victorian Naturalist 66:103-109
Portrait photo: Victorian Naturalist Vol.66, p.106

Architectural draughtsman (wrote The Practical Cabinet Maker etc). Arrived Tas. 1884; became City Surveyor, Hobart; established own business 1887.

Collected cryptogams as a hobby, e.g. Mt Dromedary 1886, 'Newton Falls' [Ck?] 1886, '87, Mt Wellington 1886, '88, Cascades Rivulet, Maria Is., St Crispins Well 1886, Mt Arthur 1892, Cornelian Bay, Cray Ck.

Wrote Key to Mosses of Tas. (Pap. Roy. Soc. Tas. 1886: 38-102) & a hepatic flora of Tas. (ibid. 1887: 209-289).

Moved to Melbourne, Vic, Mar. 1888; worked for Public Works Dept; handed his collections to F.R.M. Wilson. Collected cryptogams widely in Vic, e.g. Buninyong 1898, Sandringham 1898 (some with W.A. Weymouth), 1900, Fern Tree Gully 1899, Kew 1900, Whitdesea 1900, Mt Macedon 1900, Sorrento 1900, Frankston 1900, Lakes Entrance 1901, Mt Baw Baw 1914, Ocean Grove, Warburton. Some attrib. to his daughter Daisy Bastow (e.g. Heidelberg, Studley Park, 1892); also A.Bastow (Rottnest Is., W.A., Mar. 1899).

Wrote papers for Vic. Nat. & other journals, listed in Jolley (1999).

Specimens (many numbered) at BRI, G,MANCH, MEL, NSW. Notebooks held at MEL. Also collected shells (at Museum Victoria).

Commemorated in Jamesoniella.

Portrait: Vict. Nat. 66: 106 (1949); Australas.Bryol. Newslett. 40: cover.

Source: George, A.S. (2009) Australian Botanist's Companion, Four Gables Press, WA. [consult for source references]

Collecting localities for 'Bastow, R.A.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 3,127 specimens