Obituary and Funeral Notice For Nancy Adams, Phycologist, Botanical Artist and Historian (1926-2007)
The phycologist and wonderful botanical artist Nancy Adams died last night, 26 March 2007. She was in Huntleigh which is a rest home in Karori, Wellington. Nancy who has been ill for some time would have been 81 on 19 May 2007. The funeral for Nancy will be held on Friday, 30th March, at 11.00am at the Lychgate Funeral Home corner Willis St. and Aro St., Wellington. Nancy Adams is probably best remembered for her distinctive illustrations and series of remarkable books. Her illustrations probably first appeared in print in The Flora of New Zealand series, in Volume 1 by Harry Allan - a man she deeply respected. However, she will be well known to several generations of botanists for her work on probably the most popular New Zealand native plant book ever produced for a general audience “Trees and shrubs of New Zealand” (Poole & Adams 1963) - which ran on to 6 editions and is still available today. She also provided all the illustrations for New Zealand Alpine Plants (Mark & Adams 1973) - which ran on to four editions, and for what she undoubtedly considered her true master piece, the very singular and remarkable Seaweeds of New Zealand - an illustrated guide (Adams 1994). Nancy was an inspiration to a whole generation of botanists. Her real expertise was sea weeds but it is for her botanical illustrations and artwork that she is probably best known internationally. Nancy was the Great Grand daughter of James Adams who is commemorated by such plants as the extinct Adams Mistletoe (Trilepidea adamsii) - the NZPCN logo, Brachyglottis adamsii, Celmisia adamsii, Dracophyllum adamsii and Hebe adamsii. On her maternal side her Great Grand Father was Thomas Hall - commemorated by Hall’s Totara (Podocarpus hallii). Over her career and in her retirement Nancy contributed a wide range of botanical papers and in her later professional career studied the life of New Zealand’s first Government Botanist, John Buchanan. She had a very dry sense of humour and did not suffer fools gladly. Often taking days to warm to anyone new, once you had her respect you had it for life. Of all the worlds flora Nancy loved sea weeds the best and it is fitting that the large Snares Island endemic Lessonia adamsiae was named in her honour by Dr Cameron Hay in 1987. We are sure that all that remember her will miss her deeply. Another mighty totara in the forest of Tane has fallen.M. J. Parsons & P. J. de Lange
Adams, N.M. 1994: Seaweeds of New Zealand - an illustrated guide. University of Canterbury Press, Christchurch
Mark, A.F.; Adams, N.M. 1973: New Zealand Alpine Plants. Reed Ltd, Auckland.
Poole, A.L.; Adams, N.M. 1963: Trees and shrubs of New Zealand. Government Printer. Wellington
Posted: 28/03/2007