Fred Humphreys

Frederick William "Fred" Humphreys (11 November 1907 – 3 September 1967) was an Australian government official and an amateur photographer and botanist whose work culminated in the posthumous publication of The Banksia Book, a book on the flowering plant genus Banksia. He discovered Banksia grossa in the Stirling Range in 1967.[1]

Frederick William Humphreys
Born(1907-11-11)11 November 1907
Kalgoorlie, Australia
Died3 September 1967(1967-09-03) (aged 59)
Monuments
Other namesFred
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
OccupationGovernment official
Known forBotany
Notable work
The Banksia Book

Life and career

Humphreys was born in Kalgoorlie. He attended University of Western Australia, where he participated in track and running events. He graduated with a Diploma in Commerce in 1934. He took a position with the Commonwealth Public Service in Immigration and Social Services. He later returned to Western Australia as State Director of Social Services.[2]

Both Humphreys and his wife Evelyn were keen members of the Wildflower Society of Western Australia. Author Alex George said Humphreys conceived the idea of a series of popular books on plants such as Banksias, Dryandras, and Verticordias, and endeavoured to photograph every species of Banksia.[3] However, he died before he could accomplish this. His enthusiasm prompted George to finish a book on banksias, after the conclusion of his monograph "The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)".[3] Humphreys donated his slides of flowers to the Western Australian Herbarium and the Australian National Botanic Gardens.[2]

At the time of his death the Social Services Department was located in the building which bore his name, Humphreys House.[2] The F.W. Humphreys Perpetual Trophy at UWA is named in his honor.[2] American botanist Sherwin Carlquist named a triggerplant from the Great Victoria Desert, Stylidium humphreysii, in his honour in 1969.[4]

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References
  1. Sharr, Francis Aubie (1996). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings: A Glossary. UWA Publishing. ISBN 9781875560431.
  2. Young, Don (2001). "Fred Humphreys". UWA Athletics. University of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  3. George, Alex S; Gardner, Charles A (1996). 'The Banksia Book. Kangaroo Press. ISBN 9780864178183.
  4. Sherwin Carlquist (April 18, 1969). "Studies in Stylidiaceae: New Taxa, Field Observations, Evolutionary Tendencies" (PDF). Aliso: A Journal of Taxonomic and Evolutionary Botany. 7 (1). Retrieved 15 November 2012.
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