Elizabeth Edgar
{{Short description|New Zealand botanist (1929–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Elizabeth Edgar
| image = Elizabeth Edgar Portrait edited small.jpg
| alt = Elizabeth Edgar at work at microscope
| caption = Edgar {{circa|1970}}, DSIR
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|12|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Christchurch, New Zealand
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|1|1|1929|12|27|df=y}}
| death_place = Christchurch, New Zealand
| other_names =
| occupation = Botanist
| years_active = 1952–2010
| known_for =
| notable_works = Co-author of 3 of the 5 volumes of the series Flora of New Zealand
| relatives = Marion Fyfe (aunt)
}}
Elizabeth Edgar (27 December 1929 – 1 January 2019) was a New Zealand botanist, best known for her work in authoring and editing three of the five volumes of the series Flora of New Zealand, which describes and classifies the species of flora of the country. She was most noted for her taxonomic work on the biodiversity of New Zealand and was recognised as the foremost authority on nomenclature and description of the country's plants.
Early life
Edgar was born on 27 December 1929 in Christchurch, New Zealand, and grew up in Spreydon with her two sisters.{{cite web |url=https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search/search?path=%2FqueryEntry.m%3Ftype%3Ddeaths |title=Death search: registration number 2019/922 |website=Births, deaths & marriages online |publisher=Department of Internal Affairs |access-date=14 January 2019}}{{sfn|Guildford|2019|}} Her family were some of the first European settlers of New Zealand and her aunt, Marion Liddell Fyfe, was the first female lecturer in zoology at the University of Otago. She was educated at Rangi Ruru Girls' School in Merivale, and, encouraged by her mother, then attended Canterbury University College. Edgar graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in classics in 1950 and continued her studies while working as a library assistant for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) earning a Bachelor of Science in botany in 1953. Taking unpaid leave from DSIR, Edgar earned a master's degree with her thesis, "The Special Characteristics of Some New Zealand Cotulas with Particular Reference to their Breeding Systems" in 1957 and then finished her PhD. Her doctoral thesis was "The Cytology of the Shoot Apex in some Dicotyledons" and was completed in 1960 at Canterbury University College.{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|p=29}}
Career
Edgar returned to DSIR in 1959 working in the Botany Division at the Lincoln facility. She worked with Dr Lucy Moore to revise the naming conventions of New Zealand's monocotyledons, particularly working on the varied and extensive rushes and sedges of the country. Their work was published in 1970 as Volume II of the Flora of New Zealand, which catalogued all types of monocotyledons in New Zealand except the grasses.{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|p=29}} Continuing her work on monocotyledons, Edgar worked on the Flora of New Zealand Volume III with Arthur Healy to identify both the naturalised and native species within each genus. In addition to her forty-nine research papers and four books concerning her taxonomic research, Edgar assembled a compendium of all of the taxonomy publications of the plants of New Zealand.{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|pp=29–30}}
Edgar coordinated and supervised the publication of David J. Galloway's volume Flora of New Zealand: Lichens{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|p=30}} and then worked with Henry E. Connor to compile the extensive taxonomy of New Zealand's grasses. She retired from DSIR in 1988, but continued to work on the grasses project until it was published in 2000 as Volume V of the Flora of New Zealand series.{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|p=29}} Edgar was for the first time listed at the senior author for a volume of the Flora. Working as a research fellow for Landcare Research, with Connor, also retired but a research fellow at Canterbury University, the two compiled a study of all currently known grasses in the country's biogeographical region.{{sfn|Mark|2000|p=27}} As grasses are the most important flora in terms of economic and ecologic value to the country, the volume was an important contribution to evaluating the biodiversity of the New Zealand.{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|p=29}} Edgar described 54 new species and subspecies, mostly of grasses, sedges, and rushes, including 11 species in the genus Poa.{{sfn|Guildford|2019|}} She was also recognised as an expert in nomenclature and skilled in both Greek and Latin.{{sfn|New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|2019}}
Edgar received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, and in 1993 the New Zealand Botanical Societies Allan Mere Award.{{sfn|Guildford|2019|}} Both Edgar and Connor were recognised with the Royal Society Te Apārangi's Hutton Medal in 2000 for their work.{{sfn|de Lange|2016|p=1}} In 2010, the duo published a revision of Volume V. The Flora of New Zealand series are unique, as all of the descriptions are taken from measurements and notes collected in New Zealand, garnering international recognition.{{sfn|de Lange|2016|pp=2, 6}}
Death and legacy
Edgar died on 1 January 2019, in Christchurch, five days after her 89th birthday.{{sfn|Guildford|2019|}} She was considered the "foremost authority on naming and describing plants" in New Zealand.{{sfn|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000|p=30}} {{sfn|de Lange|2016|p=6}} Botanist Brian Molloy stated she would be remembered as one of New Zealand's greatest botanists.{{sfn|Guildford|2019|}} Three New Zealand species — Carex edgariae, Juncus edgariae and Libertia edgariae — have been named in her honour.{{sfn|New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|2019}}
In 2017, Edgar was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.{{Cite web|title=Elizabeth Edgar|url=https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/150th-anniversary/150-women-in-150-words/1918-1967/elizabeth-edgar/|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Royal Society Te Apārangi}}
References
{{botanist|Edgar|inline=yes}}
=Citations=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite journal|last1=de Lange|first1=Peter J.|date=August 2016|title=Aequi iniqui Henry E. Connor CNZM, MSc(Hons), DSc, FRSNZ – Man of Science (4 August 1922 – 26 July 2016)|url=http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/publications/Trilepidea-153-160828.pdf|journal=Trilepidea|location=Wellington, New Zealand|publisher=New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|issue=153|pages=1–7|issn=1171-9982|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715115147/http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/publications/Trilepidea-153-160828.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2017|access-date=22 September 2017}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Mark|first1=Alan|date=March 2000|title=Book Reviews: Edgar, E. and H. E. Connor, Flora of New Zealand Vol V. Grasses. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, 2000. 650pp.|url=http://www.nzbotanicalsociety.org.nz/newsletter/NZBotSoc-2000-59.pdf|journal=New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|location=Christchurch, New Zealand|publisher=New Zealand Botanical Society|issue=59|pages=27–28|issn=2230-3502|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406031457/http://nzbotanicalsociety.org.nz/newsletter/NZBotSoc-2000-59.pdf|archive-date=6 April 2017|access-date=22 September 2017}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/news_detail.aspx?ID=9624|title=Dr Elizabeth Edgar - eminent New Zealand Flora Writer has passed away|author=de Lange|first=Peter J.|date=8 January 2019|website=nzpcn.org.nz|publisher=New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|location=Wellington, New Zealand|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108162959/http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/news_detail.aspx?ID=9624|archive-date=8 January 2019|access-date=8 January 2019|ref={{harvid|New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|2019}}}}
- {{cite journal|author=|date=June 2000|title=Tribute to Dr Elizabeth Edgar, leading plant taxonomist and flora-writer|url=http://www.nzbotanicalsociety.org.nz/newsletter/NZBotSoc-2000-60.pdf|journal=New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|location=Christchurch, New Zealand|publisher=New Zealand Botanical Society|issue=60|pages=29–30|issn=2230-3502|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406031503/http://www.nzbotanicalsociety.org.nz/newsletter/NZBotSoc-2000-60.pdf|archive-date=6 April 2017|access-date=22 September 2017|ref={{harvid|New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter|2000}}}}
- {{Cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/109804769/life-story-dr-elizabeth-edgar-celebrated-as-one-of-new-zealands-leading-botanists|title=Life story: Dr Elizabeth Edgar celebrated as one of New Zealand's leading botanists|last=Guildford|first=Jonathan|date=12 January 2019|work=Christchurch Press|access-date=13 January 2019}}
{{refend}}{{Recipients of the Hutton Medal}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, Elizabeth}}
Category:Scientists from Christchurch
Category:University of Canterbury alumni
Category:20th-century New Zealand women scientists
Category:20th-century New Zealand botanists
Category:People educated at Rangi Ruru Girls' School
Category:People associated with Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand)