Elizabeth Anne Brown (15 November 1956 – 17 November 2013) was a New Zealand-born Australian bryologist who primarily contributed to the

systematics Systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phy ...

liverworts Liverworts are a group of non-vascular plant, non-vascular embryophyte, land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in wh ...

Early life and education

Brown was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand, on 15 November 1956. Her father,

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

(1928–2005), was a lecturer of plant physiology at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

and a

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

umpire. Her mother was Barbara Brown (, 1929–1998). After attending

Epsom Girls' Grammar School Epsom Girls Grammar School (often simplified to Epsom Girls, or EGGS) is a state secondary school for girls ranging from years 9 to 13 in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of 2,200 as of 2025, making it one of the largest schools in New Zeala ...

, she went on to study at the University of Auckland between 1975 and 1987. Her Master's and doctoral research, under the supervision of Dr John E. Braggins, focused on the

of the

liverwort Liverworts are a group of non-vascular land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry ...

genera ''

Marchantia ''Marchantia'' is a genus of liverworts in the family Marchantiaceae and the order Marchantiales. The genus was named by French botanist Jean Marchant after his father. The thallus of ''Marchantia'' shows differentiation into two layers: an ...

'' and ''

Riccardia ''Riccardia'' is a plant genus in the liverwort family Aneuraceae. Species As of November, 2024, about 260 species are recognised in the genus ''Riccardia'': A * '' Riccardia aberrans'' * '' Riccardia aequicellularis'' * '' Riccardia ...

'', respectively. The title of her 1987 doctoral thesis was ''Studies in the New Zealand Aneuraceae''.

Career and later life

In 1989, Brown moved to

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 ...

, Australia, to undertake a research fellowship at the

National Herbarium of New South Wales The National Herbarium of New South Wales was established in 1853. The Herbarium has a collection of more than 1.4 million plant specimens, making it the second largest collection of pressed, dried plant specimens in Australia,Thiers, B. ...

. In 1993, she was appointed as a scientific officer, and later as systematic bryologist in 2000. Brown was also a lecturer at both the

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students See also * New England Coll ...

and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

. Additionally, she was an editor for the plant systematics journal '' Telopea''. Brown described several species of plants, including those from the ''

Dracophyllum ''Dracophyllum'' is a genus of plants belonging to the family Ericaceae, formerly Epacridaceae. There are 61 species in the genus, mostly shrubs, but also cushion plants and trees, found in New Zealand, Australia, Lord Howe Island and New Caledon ...

'', ''

Lissanthe ''Lissanthe'' is a genus of about 10 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Australia. Plants in the genus ''Lissanthe'' are small, erect to spreading shrubs with egg-shaped to oblong leaves. Up to 17 Monoicy, bisex ...

'', and ''

'' genera. Brown died of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

on 17 November 2013 at

Tahmoor, New South Wales Tahmoor is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire. History Originally named Myrtle Creek, it was a farming area on the Great Southern Road, later named the Hume Highway. When the new Main S ...

, at the age of 57.

Selected works

Theses

* *

Journal articles

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Elizabeth 20th-century Australian botanists 1956 births 2013 deaths New Zealand emigrants to Australia University of Auckland alumni People educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School Scientists from Auckland 21st-century Australian botanists 20th-century Australian women scientists