Celia Elizabeth Rosser (born 1930) is an Australian botanical illustrator, best known for having published '' The Banksias'', a three-volume series of monographs containing watercolour paintings of every '' Banksia'' species. Born Celia Elizabeth Prince, she began painting Australian wildflowers early in her artistic career. She first began painting ''Banksia''s after seeing a '' Banksia serrata'' near her home in Orbost, Victoria. Her first exhibition was at Leveson Gallery in Melbourne in 1965, and included three watercolours of ''Banksia'' species. Two years later she published ''Wildflowers of Victoria''. In 1970, Rosser was appointed Science Faculty Artist at Monash University. She illustrated Peter Bridgewater's ''The Saltmarsh Plants of Southern Australia'' and ''The Mosses of Southern Australia'' by George Scott and

Ilma Grace Stone Ilma Grace Stone (1913 – 2001), née Balfe, was an Australian botanist who specialised in bryology. She was an author, collector, and researcher of Australian mosses, a subject on which she lectured and wrote. Scientific career Stone studied ...

. In 1974 she was appointed University Botanical Artist, and began the project of painting every ''Banksia'' species. The project took over 25 years to complete, and resulted in the publication of a three volume monograph entitled ''The Banksias'', with accompanying text by

Alex George Alexander or Alex George may refer to: *Alex George (botanist) (born 1939), Australian botanist * Alexander L. George (1920–2006), American political scientist * Alexander George (philosopher), American philosopher *Alex George (motorcyclist), Sc ...

. Publication of the final volume in 2000 represented the first time that such a large genus has been entirely painted. In 1997 she was awarded the Linnaean Society of London's Jill Smythies Award for botanical illustration, and in 1995 was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia. Monash University awarded her an honorary Master of Science degree in 1981, and an honorary PhD in 1999.

Legacy

In March 1978 a chance seeding of ''

Banksia canei ''Banksia canei'', commonly known as the mountain banksia, is a species of shrub that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It is generally encountered as a many-branched shrub that grows up to high, with narrow leaves and the yellow infloresc ...

'' with deeply lobed leaves and a

prostrate Prostrate may refer to:- *Prostration, a position of submission in religion etc. *Prone position, a face-down orientation of the body *Prostrate shrub A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ...

habit was registered as a cultivar by Alf Salkin under the names ''Banksia'' 'Celia Rosser' and ''Banksia canei'' 'Celia Rosser'. In 2001, Peter Olde and Neil Marriott published a description of a new ''Banksia'' species from the arid shrubland of Western Australia, naming it ''

Banksia rosserae ''Banksia rosserae'' is a recently described species of '' Banksia''. Endemic to inland Western Australia, it is the only ''Banksia'' species to occur solely within the arid zone. Description ''B. rosserae'' grows as a multi-stemmed shru ...

'' in Rosser's honour. Since 2002, the Friends of the

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanic gardens across two sites–Melbourne and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. It extends across ...

have awarded the "Celia Rosser Medal for Botanical Art" to outstanding exhibitors at their "The Art of Botanical Illustration" exhibition.

References

5. "Banksia Lady Celia Rosser, Botanical Artist" by Carolyn Landon, Monash University Press 2015, DEWEY NUMBER 759.994 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosser, Celia Elizabeth 1930 births Australian illustrators Living people Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Botanical illustrators Australian women illustrators

Legacy

See also

References