Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Winifred Curtis
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1905–2005
History
Winifred Mary Curtis AM, botanist and teacher, was born in London and migrated to Tasmania in 1939. She was employed at the University of Tasmania, only the second woman appointed, until her retirement in 1966. Her major publications were Biology for Australian Students (1948–1962), a standard high school text for many years; The Student's Flora of Tasmania (1956–1994), the standard reference work on the flowering plants and conifers; and her most celebrated work, the six-volume Endemic Flora of Tasmania (1967–1975).
Winifred received extensive honours and recognition, with many plants named in her honour. Throughout her life she has worked with great humility and a dedication to precision, seeing her achievements simply as a job that needed to be done and a foundation for others to build on.