Marchant, Neville Graeme   (1939 - )

Born in Perth in October, 1939;

Neville began his career as a 15-year-old assistant to Charles Austin Gardner, working at the Herbarium for several years before undertaking botanical studies at the University of Western Australia, followed by doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. He subsequently worked as a research botanist at the WA Herbarium, serving as Assistant Director during Jim Armstrong’s stewardship from 1989 and later assuming that position himself on Jim’s departure to Geneva in 1992.

Neville's taxonomic researches have concerned the families Droseraceae and Myrtaceae. Particular achievements include Flora of Australia treatments of the Droseraceae (Marchant et al. 1982), and revisionary studies in Drosera (Marchant & Lowrie 1992) Agonis, Chamelaucium and Darwinia.

He has written numerous popular books and articles about his science and has been a particularly strong advocate for the repatriation of types and the necessity for vouchers, as well as making contributions in ecology, zoology, geology and geography.

Fifty years after first entering the WA Herbarium, Neville retired in 2005.

Source: extracted from ASBS Newsletter 125, December 2005, by Nickolas Lander.
Portrait Photo: M.Fagg (2001)

Collecting localities for 'Marchant, N.G.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 1,751 specimens