Alexander Geoffrey Floyd (1 April 1926 – 12 December 2022) was an Australian botanist with an expert knowledge of

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

plants, particularly the rainforest trees of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He has worked with the New South Wales Forestry Commission, the Department of Forestry in

Papua-New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales. He helped create the

North Coast Regional Botanic Garden The North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour is a 20 hectare oasis in the heart of Coffs blending a mix of natural coastal forests, planted gardens, discovery walks and picnic areas. On Hardacre Street just one km from the Coffs Harb ...

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...

. Two genera and several species of plants are named in his honour; including '' Floydia'', '' Alexfloydia'', and ''

Endiandra floydii ''Endiandra floydii'' is a small-sized rainforest tree. Despite its common name, Crystal Creek walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern-hemisphere walnuts, and is a laurel. It is named after the Australian botanist, Alexander Floyd. Habitat ...

''. Floyd died on 12 December 2022, at the age of 96.

Honours and awards

In 2008, Floyd was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

"for service to botany, particularly through research and identification of sub-tropical rainforest plants and through support for the North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens, and to conservation and environmental education." Floyd has generally published as A. G. Floyd or Alexander G. Floyd.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Alexander 1926 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Australian botanists Botanists with author abbreviations Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Scientists from Melbourne People from Hampton, Victoria