Margaret Pieroni

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Margaret Pieroni OAM (born 1936) [1] is a Western Australian botanical artist, photographer and botanist who has authored, co-authored or illustrated many books on Australian botany.

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Her works include Brush with Gondwana: Botanical Artists Group of Western Australia (2008), [2] The Dryandras (2006), Verticordia: the turner of hearts (2002), [3] Discovering the wildflowers of Western Australia (1993), [4] Exploring granite outcrops (1990) [5] and Leaf and branch: trees and tall shrubs of Perth (1990). [6]

Pieroni is also recognised for a significant contribution to specimen collection, photography and horticultural research into dryandras, series Banksia ser. Dryandra, formerly regarded as genus Dryandra. [7]

She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for "service to botanical art". [8]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

Granite outcrops of Western Australia are weathered landforms that occur throughout the state of Western Australia, composed primarily of the rock type granite. All recognised types of this landform can be observed, commonly as bornhardts, but also as inselbergs, castle koppies and nubbins. Rising abruptly from the surrounding landscape they create a variety of microhabitats for plants, and provide seasonal resources and refuge for a range of animals. These areas thus have rich biodiversity and many endemic species. They are significant locations that tie in with the Aboriginal and European cultural heritage of Western Australia.

<i>Verticordia nitens</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia nitens, commonly known as Christmas Morrison and other names, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The Noongar peoples know the plant as kotyeningara. It is an upright shrub with glistening and perfumed flower heads that appear between October and February. The small compact and erect flowers have been noted for their beauty. Although it occurs in areas near Perth, Morrison featherflower is not classed as rare or endangered because it still occurs in large populations, although its numbers have undoubtedly been reduced as a result of urban development.

<i>Verticordia blepharophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia blepharophylla is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with a single main stem, leaves with hairy margins and pale to deep mauve-pink flowers and which occurs in an area between Perth and Geraldton.

Verticordia bifimbriata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an open shrub with small leaves and spikes of pink flowers.

Verticordia subg. Eperephes is a botanical name for a grouping of similar plant species in the genus Verticordia. This subgenus contains six sections, classifying forty four species, of Alex George's infrageneric arrangement. The subgeneric name is derived from the Greek word eperephes, in reference to over-hanging parts at the hypanthium which differentiate the contained species from the other two subgenera.

Verticordia subg. Verticordia is a botanical name for a grouping of similar plant species in the genus Verticordia. This subgenus contains eleven sections, classifying thirty six species, of Alex George's infrageneric arrangement. A number of anatomical features differentiate the contained species from the other two subgenera.

<i>Verticordia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Verticordia is a genus of more than 100 species of plants commonly known as featherflowers, in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. They range in form from very small shrubs such as V. verticordina to trees like V. cunninghamii, some spindly, others dense and bushy, but the majority are woody shrubs up to 2.0 m (7 ft) tall. The flowers are variously described as "feathery", "woolly" or "hairy" and are found in most colours except blue. They often appear to be in rounded groups or spikes but in fact are always single, each flower borne on a separate stalk in a leaf axil. Each flower has five sepals and five petals all of a similar size with the sepals often having feathery or hairy lobes. There are usually ten stamens alternating with variously shaped staminodes. The style is simple, usually not extending beyond the petals and often has hairs near the tip. All but two species are found in Southwest Australia, the other two occurring in the Northern Territory.

<i>Verticordia monadelpha</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia monadelpha is a flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a much-branched shrub with pink to magenta flowers in spring and early summer. It is commonly known as pink Morrison, woolly featherflower, pink woolly featherflower, white woolly featherflower or pink cauliflower.

Verticordia verticordina is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area near the coast of the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, low-growing shrub with crowded leaves and in spring, scattered pale greenish-cream and golden brown flowers. Its unusual flowers and fleshy leaves give the plant a superficial resemblance to a Darwinia.

<i>Verticordia spicata</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia spicata, commonly known as spiked featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a dense, bushy shrub with small leaves pressed against the stem and spikes of pink flowers from late spring to early summer.

<i>Verticordia venusta</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia venusta is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an openly branched shrub with small, egg-shaped leaves and spikes of pink to maroon-coloured flowers in spring and early summer.

Verticordia plumosa var. grandiflora is a shrub up to 1.4 m tall found along the southern coastal regions of Southwest Australia. It is a variety of the species Verticordia plumosa, and is sometimes found growing in association with Verticordia verticordina in heath.

William Morrison was a Scottish-born gardener and plant collector employed by Kew between 1824 and 1839.

<i>Verticordia staminosa</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia staminosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub comprising two subspecies, one of which has two varieties. All three types have a limited distribution and have been classified as "Threatened". It is distinguished from other species of verticordia by its prominent, long stamens which extend well beyond its feathery yellow sepals and petals.

Verticordia coronata is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with leaves whose shape depends on their position on the plant, and groups of yellow flowers near the ends of the branches.

Verticordia endlicheriana var. endlicherliana is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, compact shrub with mostly narrow leaves and golden-yellow flowers which age to reddish brown.

Verticordia fimbrilepis subsp. australis, commonly known as southern shy featherflower is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a slender shrub with one openly branched main stem at its base, small, pointed leaves and rounded groups of pink flowers near the ends of the branches.

Verticordia helmsii is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with most of its leaves clustered on short side branches and with small groups of scented creamish-white flowers in small groups along the branches.

Verticordia minutiflora is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy shrub with small, crowded, cylindrical leaves and groups of white to pale pink flowers in summer and autumn. As suggested by its botanical name, it has the smallest flowers of any verticordia.

<i>Verticordia penicillaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Verticordia penicillaris is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, widely spreading shrub, usually with several main branches. It is readily distinguished from other verticordias by its yellow flowers with white fringes and purple hairs on the end of their long styles.

References

  1. Fagg, M. "Pieroni, Margaret". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. Gooding, Janda (2008), Brush with Gondwana : Botanical Artists Group of Western Australia, Rica Erickson, Pat Dundas, Ellen Hickman, Penny Leech, Philippa Nikulinski, Margaret Pieroni, Katrina Syme (illustrators), Fremantle Press, ISBN   978-1-921361-26-5
  3. George, Elizabeth A (2002), Verticordia : the turner of hearts, Pieroni, Margaret (illustrator), University Of Western Australia Press [in association with] Australian Biological Resources Study ; [Lancaster : Gazelle], ISBN   978-1-876268-46-6
  4. Discovering The Wildflowers Of Western Australia. Quality Publishing Australia. 1993. OL   12107005M.
  5. McMillan, Peter (1990), Grant, Richard; Staniland, Carmel (eds.), Exploring granite outcrops, Pieroni, Margaret (illustrator), Dept. of Conservation and Land Management, retrieved 6 October 2023
  6. Powell, Robert; Emberson, Jane; Hopper, Stephen; McMillan, Peter. "Leaf and branch : trees and tall shrubs of Perth". National Library of Australia. Pieroni, Margaret & Patrick, Susan (illustrators). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  7. "Dryandra Image Gallery - Part 5". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  8. "Mrs Margaret Edith Pieroni". Australian Honours Search Facility. Retrieved 25 January 2024.

Further reading