Augustus Frederick Oldfield
Encyclopedia
Augustus Frederick Oldfield (1820–1887) was an English botanist and zoologist who made large collections of plant specimens in Australia
.
Oldfield was born 12 January 1820 in London, England. He made botanical collections in Tasmania
, the coastal regions of Western Australia
, and on the Nullarbor Plain
. Records of his journey note him walking from Sydney to Melbourne, and collections at Twofold Bay
, the Huon Valley
and mountains in Tasmania, and other regions in the 1850s and 60s. The large body of material in the west of the country was collected from King George Sound
to the Murchison River
. Oldfield published a paper 'On the Aborigines of Australia' in 1865, a detailed survey of the cultural practices of the peoples living near Port Gregory.
He died on 22 May 1887, after returning to London in 1862.
His main collection was deposited at Melbourne by Ferdinand von Mueller
, other parts of his herbaria are held at Kew and Western Australia.
Joseph Dalton Hooker
notes his contribution in Flora Tasmaniae as "a zealous collector and as a careful and acute observer". Charles Darwin
communicated with Oldfield, through Hooker, on the subject of Indigenous Australians
. His name is commemorated in epithets of species such as Hakea oldfieldii.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Oldfield was born 12 January 1820 in London, England. He made botanical collections in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, the coastal regions of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and on the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
. Records of his journey note him walking from Sydney to Melbourne, and collections at Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay
Twofold Bay is a bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. The bay has an area of about 30 square kilometres. Close to North Head is a conspicuous islet, Mewstone Rock. About five km south of the islet is Red Point which forms the southern headland of...
, the Huon Valley
Huon Valley
The Huon Valley Council is a Local Government Area of Tasmania. It is the southern-most local government area in Australia.It encompasses the town of Huonville, on the Huon River, some surrounding towns, and many protected areas and forestry plantations...
and mountains in Tasmania, and other regions in the 1850s and 60s. The large body of material in the west of the country was collected from King George Sound
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
to the Murchison River
Murchison River (Western Australia)
The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:...
. Oldfield published a paper 'On the Aborigines of Australia' in 1865, a detailed survey of the cultural practices of the peoples living near Port Gregory.
He died on 22 May 1887, after returning to London in 1862.
His main collection was deposited at Melbourne by Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
, other parts of his herbaria are held at Kew and Western Australia.
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
notes his contribution in Flora Tasmaniae as "a zealous collector and as a careful and acute observer". Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
communicated with Oldfield, through Hooker, on the subject of Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. His name is commemorated in epithets of species such as Hakea oldfieldii.