Evans, Obed David (1889 - 1975)
Born in Redfern, New South Wales, in 1889, died in Sydney, New South
Wales, on 26 July 1975.
Laboratory Attendant/Senior Laboratory Attendant at the Botany School,
University of Sydney (1916-1954) where he was largely responsible for
the development of the John Ray Herbarium (SYD). From April 1959 until
June 1971 a part-time botanist at NSW. Co-author of the Flora of the
Sydney Region (1963, 1972, 1982), nine research papers and accounts
of eight families for Flora of New South Wales (Contr. New South
Wales Natl. Herb.). His collections are to be found at SYD and NSW (duplicates
in S and elsewhere).
Source: Extracted from: A.E.Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic
Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed.,
ABRS. [consult for source references]
Portrait Photo:Telopea, Sept. 1976, ex SMH
Australian botanist at the University of Sydney and from 1959 at the National Herbarium of New South Wales. Obed Evans served as a laboratory attendant in the botany department at the University of Sydney from 1916-1954, where as head of technical staff he was active in the development of the John Ray Herbarium (SYD). Among his duties was the collection of material for students and researchers, which saw him travel as far afield as Queensland for Bowenia as well as his frequent trips to La Perouse.
In 1952, with N.C.W. Beadle, he began work on a students' key to the flowering plants of the Sydney region, but a fire at the University of New England at Armidale, New South Wales, destroyed a large part of the manuscript. R.C. Carolin helped to finish the project. Evans was awarded a BSc in 1957 by the University of Sydney for his work on the Handbook of vascular plants of the Sydney district and Blue Mountains.
In 1959 he was taken on as a botanist on a part-time basis at the National Herbarium of New South Wales to assist with the Flora of New South Wales. He remained at NSW until 1971, where he was also appointed honorary curator of Cyperaceae and other monocots. During his years at NSW he contributed to three volumes of the Flora of the Sydney Region (1963, 1972, 1982) and provided accounts of eight families for the Flora of New South Wales, working with Lawrence Johnson on the Arecaceae, Phylidraceae, Lemnaceae, Cyperaceae and Restionaceae. Species named after him include Schoenus evansianus K.L. Wilson.
Source: Extracted from: https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000367568
Collecting localities for 'Evans, O.D.' from AVH (2021)
Data from 1,879 specimens
