Cranfield, Raymond Jeffrey (Ray)   (1947 -  )

Born and educated in Perth, Western Australia.

He commenced work as a laboratory assistant at Mount Lawley Technical College in 1968, advancing to Assistant laboratory manager before being appointed as laboratory manager at Western Australian Herbarium in 1978.

His interest in plants led to new roles involving plant identifying, field collecting and taxonomic research, which led to a Post Graduate Diploma in Natural Resources conferred in 1998, his dissertation resulting in a revision of Pericalymma (Myrtaceae).

During this period he developed an interest in lichens, travelled overseas on a Churchill Fellowship and conducted a series of community lichen workshops.

In 1999 Ray transferred to a regional research centre at Manjimup, was promoted to Principal Technical Officer, participated in a range of projects including fire research, continued taxonomic work including a checklist of lichens for Western Australia.

He retired in 2013.

He is recognised as the most prolific collector of specimens in WA's history (he has the most numbers at PERTH).

He had a particular interest in lichens, but also worked on Epacrid taxonomy, especially Brachyloma.

Ray published a number of plant taxonomic papers in which he described 21 species from several families.

In retirement he remained active on lichen survey work and volunteering at the regional herbarium in Bunbury.

Source: Extracted from:
Pers.Comm. T.Macfarlane-M.Fagg email 18/3/2026
Pers.Comm. R.Barrett-M.Fagg email 16/3/2026
Portrait Photo: from: R.Underwood, 'A Botanical Journey, The Story of the Western Australian Herbarium' (2011), p.192.

Collecting localities for 'Cranfield, R.J.' from AVH (2026)

Data from 36,697 specimens