Anthony Peter Druce
Tony Druce | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthony Peter Druce 18 June 1920 Kumeroa, New Zealand |
| Died | 15 March 1999 (aged 78) Hutt, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Canterbury |
| Known for | Botany |
| Notable work | Botanical survey of an experimental catchment, Taita, New Zealand |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards |
|
Anthony Peter "Tony" Druce (June 18, 1920 – March 15, 1999) was a New Zealand botanist. He is considered the preeminent field botanist of New Zealand for the twentieth century.[1][2]
Tony was born in Kumeroa. He attended Canterbury University College from 1939 to 1942, before he worked on radar in Auckland during World War II. In 1947, he joined DSIR's Botany Division, where he was given a technical role due to his lack of formal education. In 1957, he published Botanical survey of an experimental catchment, Taita, New Zealand,[3] which "was the most detailed study of the history and dynamics of a small catchment’s vegetation published to that time."[4] It noted how gorse serves as a nursery plant for native species in New Zealand ecology, allowing regeneration of native bush.
In 1977, his second daughter, Fenella, died in a tramping incident near Aoraki / Mt. Cook. Druce and his wife, the botanist Helen Druce, built Fenella Hut as a memorial, now owned by DOC.[1][5]
Tony edited the Wellington Botanical Society’s Bulletin from 1949 to 1966, and also served as the Society’s vice-president in 1954 and 1962 and as its president in 1960–61 and 1976–7. He was also a major contributor to Audrey Eagle's Eagle’s complete trees and shrubs of New Zealand.[6]
Tony was honoured with the Allan Mere Award in 1987.[7][8]
At least ten species of plant are named in honour of him, including Wahlenbergia pygmaea drucei.[9] As an avid collector, he added over 37,000 specimens to Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research's herbarium at Lincoln.[1] He also occasionally described new species, but often in collaboration.[10] The Wellington Botanical Society has an annual Tony Druce Memorial Lecture named for him, often given at the AGM.[11]
References
- ^ a b c "Druce, Anthony Peter | Dictionary of New Zealand Biography | Te Ara". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Atkinson, I. A. E. (1 September 1999). "Obituary". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 37 (3): 573–577. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1999.9512654. ISSN 0028-825X.
- ^ Druce, A.P. (1957). Botanical survey of an experimental catchment, Taita, New Zealand: the central catchment at Taita Experimental Station.
- ^ "Druce, Anthony Peter | Dictionary of New Zealand Biography | Te Ara". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Fenella Hut". www.doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Eagle, A (2006). Eagle's complete trees and shrubs of New Zealand. Te Papa Press.
- ^ "Honouring Tony Druce | Druce, Anthony Peter | Dictionary of New Zealand Biography | Te Ara". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Allan Mere Award - 1987". www.nzbotanicalsociety.org.nz. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Petterson, J.A. (2005). "The genus Wahlenbergia,(Campanulaceae): the harebells of New Zealand" (PDF). Wellington Botanical Society Bulletin. 49.
- ^ Molloy, B. P. J.; Druce, A. P. (April 1994). "A new species name inMelicytus(Violaceae) from New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 32 (2): 113–118. doi:10.1080/0028825x.1994.10410362. ISSN 0028-825X.
- ^ "Newsletter" (PDF). Wellington Botanical Society Bulletin. September 2024.