Ann Philippa Wylie (born 12 April 1922) is a New Zealand botanist, and was an associate professor at the University of Otago before her retirement in 1987.

Ann Philippa Wylie
Born (1922-04-12) 12 April 1922 (age 102)
OccupationBotanist
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Otago
Alma materLincoln University
ThesisVascular anatomy of New Zealand's malvaceous trees (1945)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Manchester, University of Otago

Early life and family edit

Wylie was born on 12 April 1922,[1][2] the daughter of surgeon David Storer Wylie, who survived the sinking of the SS Marquette in 1915, and his second wife, Isobel Edith Wylie (née Daplyn).[3][4] She was educated at Nga Tawa Diocesan School near Marton, and went on to study at the University of Otago.[3] She completed her Master of Science with first-class honours in botany in 1945, and a Diploma of Honours in zoology the following year.[3][5] She began working at the Wheat Research Institute at Lincoln in November 1946, carrying out experimental and statistical work.[3][6] Also in 1946, Wylie was awarded a postgraduate science scholarship by the University of New Zealand, to fund two years of overseas study.[3]

Academic career edit

In 1944,[7] Wylie was completing her honours degree in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago when Professor John Holloway retired suddenly through ill health. Alongside Betty Batham, Margaret Cookson and Brenda Shore, Wylie took up teaching to keep the department going. Wylie submitted her Masters thesis, titled Vascular anatomy of New Zealand's malvaceous trees in 1945, while resident in St Margaret's College.[8]

Wylie went to the University of London in 1947, and then lectured at the University of Manchester. Returning to New Zealand, she worked in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago, setting up courses on cytology and genetics, and teaching both zoology and botany students.[1][9][10]

According to an interview given in her nineties, Wylie recalled that "women were well accepted in zoology and botany and she did not experience prejudice, though she also notes that women lecturers behaved as ‘honorary men’; it was they who had to adapt rather than the men."[11]

Wylie rose to associate professor before retiring in 1987.[1]

In 2017, Wylie was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words.[1] She celebrated her 100th birthday on 12 April 2022.[2]

Selected works edit

  • Ann P Wylie (August 1952). "The history of the garden Narcissi". Heredity. 6 (2): 137–156. doi:10.1038/HDY.1952.16. ISSN 0018-067X. Wikidata Q56135524.
  • JEAN M. ARMSTRONG; ANN P. WYLIE (March 1965). "A New Basic Chromosome Number in the Family Fagaceae". Nature. 205 (4978): 1340–1341. doi:10.1038/2051340B0. ISSN 1476-4687. Wikidata Q59080695.
  • Ann Wylie (1954). "The History of Garden Roses (Masters Memorial Lecture, 1954.) With plates". Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. 79: 8–24. ISSN 0035-8924. OCLC 760274491. Wikidata Q104605940.
  • Ann Wylie; C Darlington (1955), Chromosome Atlas of Flowering Plants, Allen & Unwin, OCLC 3473037, Wikidata Q104605923
  • Ann Wylie (1945), Vascular anatomy of New Zealand's malvaceous trees: thesis presented for the degree of Master of Science in Botany, University of New Zealand, OCLC 154265405, Wikidata Q104606144
  • Ann Wylie (1957). "The chromosome numbers of mosses". Transactions of the British Bryological Society. 3: 260–278. ISSN 0068-1385. OCLC 66847866. Wikidata Q104606202.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Ann Wylie". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mark, Alan (13 April 2022). "Celebrating distinguished botanist Ann Wylie's centenary". Inside Government NZ. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Current notes". The Press. Vol. 83, no. 25257. 8 August 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Obituary: D. S. Wylie" (PDF). British Medical Journal: 1007. 23 October 1965. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  5. ^ Trump, Eric (13 April 2022). "Research flowered under fine botanist". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Current notes". The Press. Vol. 83, no. 25173. 2 May 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  7. ^ Baylis, Geoff. "John Ernest Holloway". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  8. ^ Lewis, John (31 January 2011). "College ex-residents compare times". Otago Daily Times Online News. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  9. ^ Clarke, Ali (5 October 2013). "Some fine fellows". University of Otago 1869–2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. ^ Alison Clarke (2018), Otago: 150 years of New Zealand's first university, Wikidata Q63406621
  11. ^ Clarke, Ali (27 March 2016). "Scientific women". University of Otago 1869–2019. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.

External links edit

Interview (with photo) with Wylie about life as a resident of St Margaret's College during the war