Diane Mary Bridson

Diane Mary Bridson (born 1942) is a British botanist.^[1][2]

Diane Mary Bridson
Born	1942
Nationality	British
Scientific career
Fields	Botany
Author abbrev. (botany)	Bridson

Biography

Bridson entered the Herbarium at Kew Gardens in 1963^[3] starting as an assistant in the African section, working on Rubiaceae, eventually becoming a Principal Scientific Officer. She was Assistant Keeper for a couple of years and retired in 2002.^[4] She was senior tutor on Kew's 'International Diploma Course in Herbarium Techniques'^[5] and was co-editor of The Herbarium handbook, first published in 1989. She has published extensively on Rubiaceae, with a particular focus on Coffea, including the account for Flora of Tropical East Africa.

Bridson has lived in Ham, Richmond for over 50 years and is active in the Friends of Ham Lands group, where she leads Nature Safaris.^[6]

Born Diane Sheppard she married Gavin Bridson (1936-2008) in 1963.^[7]

Eponyms

The genera Bridsonia Verstraete & A.E.van Wyk^[8] and Dibridsonia K.M.Wong^[9] are named after her, as well as the species Coffea bridsoniae A.P.Davis & Mvungi, Keetia bridsoniae Jongkind, Pavetta bridsoniae P.I.Forst., Psilanthus bridsoniae Sivar., Biju & P.Mathew, Psychotria bridsoniae A.P.Davis & Govaerts, and Rytigynia bridsoniae Verdc., and one subspecies Pyrostria lobulata subsp. bridsoniae Matheka & I.Darbysh..

Selected publications

• Flora of tropical East Africa. Bixaceae (1975). Bridson, Diane Mary; Polhill, Roger Marcus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• Flore des plantes ligneuses du Rwanda. (1982). G. Troupin, Diane M. Bridson. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale
• Studies in Coffea and Psilanthus for part 2 of ‘Flora of Tropical East Africa’: Rubiaceae. Bridson, D.M. (1982). Kew Bull. 36: 817–860.
• Flora of Egypt. Family 80. l, Vahliaceae. (1983). Bridson, Diane Mary
• Flora of tropical East Africa. Rubiaceae. Part 2. (1988). Bridson, Diane Mary; Verdcourt, Bernard; Polhill, Roger Marcus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 9789061913375
• The Herbarium handbook. (1989). Diane M Bridson, Leonard Forman. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
• Flora of tropical East Africa. Rubiaceae. Part 3. (1991). Verdcourt, Bernard; Bridson, Diane Mary; Polhill, Roger Marcus. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (ISBN 9789061913573)
• Rubiaceae, pt 2. Flora Zambesiaca, 5(2). Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. (1998). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 211–377.
• Flora Zambesiaca, 5(3): 379–720. Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. (2004). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

References

1. "Bridson, Diane Mary (1942-)". International Plant Names Index. from the original on 28 July 2019.
2. "Bridson, Diane M." Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. from the original on 20 January 2012.
3. . The Journal of the Kew Guild. 8: 1032–1035. 1970. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2021 – via ISSUU.
4. Woodhams, J R (2003). . The Journal of the Kew Guild. 14: 157. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2021 – via ISSUU.
5. . The Journal of the Kew Guild. 11: 296. 1994. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2021 – via ISSUU.
6. "Nature Safaris". HUG - Ham United Group. 2020. from the original on 13 August 2020.
7. Myers, Robin (22 February 2008). "Gavin Bridson: Bibliographer and librarian". Independent.
8. Verstraete B, Steyn H, Van Wyk B (2018). "Taxonomic status of some geofrutex members of Vanguerieae (Rubiaceae): notes on Eriosemopsis and Pygmaeothamnus and the description of a new genus Bridsonia". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 186 (1): 47–65. doi:10.1093/botlinnean/box076.
9. Wong KM, Mahyuni R, Ng XY, Neo L (2018). "Flora of Singapore precursors, 8. Systematy of the new Southeast Asian genera Canthiumera and Dibridsonia (Rubiaceae: Vanguerieae), with notes on plant architecture and reproductive ecology". Reinwardtia. 17: 101–124. doi:10.14203/reinwardtia.v17i2.3648.