Person
Symon, David Eric (1920 - 2011)
- Born
- 13 October 1920
London, United Kingdom - Died
- 18 December 2011
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Botanist
Summary
David Symon was a botanist who for nearly 30 years was Curator of the Arboretum and Herbarium at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute. During this period he greatly increased the size of its collection of living trees while at the same time introducing management practices that significantly reduced the amount of water and watering required. His research focused on the taxonomy and chemical analysis of plants, often those of agricultural importance. Symon published landmark studies of South Australian Acacia and the Solanaceae of Australia and New Guinea. Other major studies were in the families Rosaceae, Frankeniaceae, Goodeniaceae and Leguminosae. Symon was interested in conservation issues, conducting extensive surveys in areas of floral significance and serving two terms as President of the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia. On his retirement Symon arranged for the transfer of the Waite Herbarium to the State Herbarium of South Australia, which now holds over 24,000 of his specimens.
Details
Chronology
- ? - 1985
- Career position - Reader in Agronomy, Waite Agricultural Research Institute
- 1922
- Life event - Migrated to Australia with his family
- 1951
- Education - BAgSc, University of Adelaide
- 1951 - 1956
- Career position - Agrostologist, Waite Agricultural Research Institute
- 1952 - 1956
- Career position - Lecturer in Agronomy, University of Adelaide
- 1956 - 1962
- Career position - Systematic Botanist, Waite Agricultural Research Institute
- 1956 - 1985
- Career position - Curator, Waite Arboretum and Herbarium
- 1962 -
- Career position - Senior Lecturer in Botany, Waite Agricultural Research Institute
- 1962 - 1986
- Career position - Member, Nature Conservation Society of South Australia
- 1962 - 2011
- Award - Fellow, Royal Society of South Australia
- 1972 - 1994
- Career position - Member of Committee, Handbooks of the Flora and Fauna of South Australia
- 1973 - 2000
- Career position - Inaugural Member Australian Systematic Botany
- 1978 - 2002
- Career position - Member, Editorial Committee, Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens
- 1980 - 1984
- Career position - Member, Editorial Committee, Flora of Australia
- 1985
- Life event - Retired
- 1985 - 2011
- Career position - Honorary Research Associate, State Herbarium of South Australia
- 1994
- Career position - Chair of the Organising Committee, 4th International Solanaceae Conference, Adelaide
- 1996
- Education - DSc, University of Adelaide
- 2000 - 2011
- Award - Life Member, Australian Systematic Botany Society
- 2010
- Career position - Corresponding Member, Botanical Society of America
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Symon, David, Sturt Pea; a Most Splendid Plant (Adelaide: Board of the Botanic Garden and State Herbarium, 2007), 151 pp. Details
Conference Papers
- Gardner, Jennifer A., 'History of the Waite Arboretum and Waite Herbarium', in History of Systematic Botany in Australasia: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the University of Melbourne, 25-27 May 1988 edited by Short, P.S. (Melbourne: Australian Systematic Botany Society, 1990), pp. 29-36.. Details
Journal Articles
- Anon, 'David Eric Symon', Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter, 105 (2000), 1-22. Details
- Barker, R. M., 'Dr David Symon and the Australian Systematic Botany Society', Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter, 90 (1997), 32-4. Details
- Barker, R. M., 'David Eric Symon (1920-2011)', Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, 26 (2013), 71-96. Details
- Barker, R.; and Barker, W. R., 'David Symon (1920-2011)', Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter, 151 (2012), 11-9. Details
- Barker, Robyn, 'Life membership awarded to Dr D. E. Symon', Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter, 104 (2000), 11-2. Details
- Symon, David, 'Wildflowers of South Australia (1861) by Fanny de Mole', Archives of Natural History, 30 (1) (2003), 139-48. Details
- Taplin, R. T.; and Symon, D. E., 'Remnant horticultural plants at the site of the former Newmans Nursery 1854 - 1932', Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, 22 (2008), 73-96. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5799961. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/58031223. Details
Reviews
- Symon, David, Santos MEB Museum of Economic Botany: the Museum of Economic Botany at the Adelaide Botanic Garden, a Souvenir (2010)
Symon, David, 'Museum of Economic Botany', Australian Systematic Botany Society Bulletin, (2010), 17-8. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 1 October 2019