About: Francis Wilson (lichenologist)

Francis Robert Muter Wilson (1832–1903), Presbyterian minister at Kew, Melbourne, was arguably Australia's first lichenologist. He came to Australia in 1862 to minister at Kew, but developed an interest in the natural world. He discovered many Australian and Pacific Island species of lichens. His collecting trips took him to Lorne, Lakes Entrance, Ferntree Gully, Brisbane, Sydney and Suva, Fiji. Between 1897 and 1900 he wrote at least 20 articles on lichens, publishing many new species. After his death his collections were purchased by the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the National Herbarium of Victoria. However the latter set was sent to the Italian botanist to be studied, and was lost in transit, never to be recovered.