Peter Wardle

Peter Wardle
ONZM FRSNZ
Born(1931-02-14)14 February 1931
Died6 December 2008(2008-12-06) (aged 77)
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
Known forNew Zealand botany
Scientific career
Thesis (1957)
Doctoral advisorAlexander Stuart Watt

Peter Wardle ONZM FRSNZ (14 February 1931 – 6 December 2008) was a New Zealand botanist.

Academic career

Raised largely in Lake Hāwea (town) in Central Otago, Wardle attended Waitaki Boys' High School and then the University of Otago, where he obtained an MSc with first class honours on the vegetation and climate of the Dunedin region, graduating in 1954.[1] He won a scholarship to University of Cambridge and completed a PhD under Alexander Stuart Watt. He returned to New Zealand to work at the Forest Service before being recruited by Eric Godley for the Botany Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. His scientific strength remained the botany and ecology of the lower South Island, where he had been raised.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1977[2] and awarded the society's Hector Medal in 1990.[3] In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, Wardle was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to plant ecology.[4]

He died on 6 December 2008 while crossing the Waimakariri River.[5][6][7]

Selected works

  • Vegetation of New Zealand
  • Scenic reserves of South Westland: a botanical survey of scenic and allied reserves of South Westland (1980)
  • Plants and landscape in Westland National Park (1979)
The standard author abbreviation Wardle is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[8]

References

  1. ^ "NZ university graduates 1870–1961: U–Wh". Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  2. ^ "The Academy: V–Z". Royal Society of New Zealand. 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Hector Medal: recipients". Royal Society of New Zealand. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2006". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. ^ McGlone, Matt; Lee, Bill (2011). "Peter Wardle: obituary". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 35 (1): 119–126. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Plant expert dies in river". The Press. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  7. ^ "Top botanist killed in tramping mishap". Otago Daily Times. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  8. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Wardle.


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