In the late 1950s, Eleanor Lillywhite Hellaby (d. 1967), daughter of William Hellaby of the Hellaby butchery empire, was looking for a worthy cause to benefit from her estate after her death. In 1959, Miss Hellaby (known as Lilly) was persuaded by her brother Arthur and Gordon Cunningham, a DSIR plant scientist, to set up the Miss E. L. Hellaby Indigenous Grasslands Research Trust. At the time indigenous grasslands were being steadily eroded by the encroachment of pastoral farming and there was a lack of funding for research into and support of these important ecological areas. Arthur Hellaby thought that since the Hellaby family livelihood had gained so much from the land, it was an admirable opportunity to give something back. Notable Chairs of the Trust have included Professors Geoff Baylis and Sir Alan Mark.
Mary Winifred Betts' research involved attempts to relate the ecology of indigenous plants to their structure and anatomy. Rosette plants near Cass in Canterbury, and – as depicted here – plants in the ‘mineral belt’ near Nelson came under scrutiny.
After completing a PhD on onions, where he wittingly said ‘he wept out the war – dissecting onions for the Ministry of Food’ – Dr Martin Holdsworth (1920-1990) took up a position in the Botany Department in 1948, teaching medical, dental and home science students. Apart from a seven year stint in Ghana, he taught at Otago until he retired as associate professor in 1979. Holdsworth’s scholarly publications spanned a wide range of topics, including carbon dioxide uptake by succulents, the growth of mango trees, and the vegetation of Great Island, part of Three Kings Islands (Manawatawhi). Here is an early paper by him on the leaf movements of soybean.
Many of Greta Stevenson's articles and scholarly papers on mycology (the study of fungi) and ferns carry her own illustrations, including this Paul’s Book Arcade edition of Book of Ferns.
About 6th December 1888, John Buchanan, draughtsman-botanist, received a presentation copy of A Manual of the Grasses and Forage-plants Useful to New Zealand (1887) from the author Thomas Mackay. Reviews of the day stressed the handy format and low price of Mackay’s useful guide, and remarked that if not found in every home in the country, it should be in every rural library. Mackay wanted to improve the quality of colour reproductions – like the white turnip (Brassica rapa) here – and asked Buchanan for a solution.
To ward off an outbreak of scurvy on board, Cook looked to a local resource while at Dusky Sound. His use of rimu leaves to create spruce beer was certainly innovative. And it was not a one-time occasion. George Vancouver (1757-1798), who accompanied Cook on the second and third voyages, also utilised the same when he called at Dusky Sound during November 1791. The ‘good effects’ on the crew of spruce beer are mentioned as well as Vancouver’s use of a species of cypress and ‘tea plant’ for brewing at sea. The Scottish surgeon Archibald Menzies (1754–1842) was with Vancouver. During his botanising he discovered two well-known plants: Dracophyllum menziesii (dragon leaf) and Nothofagus (Lophozonia) menziesii (silver beech).
For many years, Māori have used flax (Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known as harakeke and wharariki respectively) for medicinal purposes and for rope-making and matting. Early European visitors such as Banks also realised the potential of the plant, especially its usefulness in rope-making. Painter William Hodges (1744-1797) accompanied Cook on his second voyage to the Pacific. Although renowned for his landscape paintings, Hodges also executed botanical drawings like this flax illustration for Cook’s A Voyage towards the South Pole (1777).
Part of Professor Sir Alan Mark's research incorporates alpine ecosystems, and his most recent publication, Above the Treeline (2012), reflects both his passion and scholasticism. And like many of his colleagues, he enjoys field-work.
Associate Professor Paul Guy (Head of Department 2003-2007), joined Botany in 1992 and conducts research in areas such as plant virology, plant pathology and grass endophytes. One of his most recent papers is ‘Detection and analysis of endogenous badnaviruses in the New Zealand flora’ (AoB Plants, 2011), co-authored with David Lyttle and colleague Dr David Orlovich.
The Botanical Society of Otago was established in 1986 and its website advocates membership ‘if you’re interested in botany, native plants and/or the natural environment.’ The Society issues a regular newsletter (now online) that features upcoming meetings, field trips and workshops; botanical news; articles; and reports.
Here are some bookmarks of various plants such as Ranunculus ficaria, Splachnidium rugosum (Deadman’s fingers), lichens, and ‘Swiss chards’, which are not only nutritious, but range in colour from white to yellow to red. Descriptive text accompanies these images.