Rob Cross

Horticultural Botanist

email: rob.cross@rbg.vic.gov.au
ph.: ++61 (0)3 9252 2329

Rob Cross, a horticultural botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, is involved in research that will benefit the horticultural industry and the conservation of Australian plants. Current projects include the development of micropropagation techniques for Australian taxa suitable for floriculture such as Doryanthes excelsa, and the elucidation of the mycorrhiza/orchid relationship with the aim of improving the propagation and cultivation of our many threatened terrestrial orchids. Rob also contributes to orchid conservation as chair of the Cultivation Committee of the Threatened Orchid Recovery Team, and by being a member of the Orchid Specialist Group of the IUCN. Plant nomenclature, particularly of cultivated plants, is also an important part of Rob's work. Rob and his colleague, Dr Roger Spencer, are working on publications to promote sustainable horticultural practices.

Papers

Hitchmough, J., Berkeley, S. & Cross, R. (1989) Flowering grasslands in the Australian landscape Landscape Australia 11(4) 394-403

Cross, R. (1994) Gilbert Handasyde and Thomas McMillan Genus 6(3): 1-3

Cross, R. (1997) Horticultural research at the Royal Botanic Gardens International Plant Propagator's Society Combined Proceedings 46:154-155

Cross, R. (1998) extraOrdinary People Cultivating Amazing plant collections Genus 10(3): 7

Aryantha, I.P., Cross, R. and Guest, D.I. (2000) Suppression of Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands in potting mixes amended with uncomposted and composted animal manures. Phytopathology 90(7): 394-403

Raleigh, R.E., Coates, F., Cross, R.G., and Lawrie, A.C. (2000). Effects of seed surface sterilisation on germinability in Caladenia tentaculata Schltdl. (Orchidaceae). Proceedings of the Fourth Australasian Native Orchid Conference, Melbourne, 5-8 October 2000, 99-106.

Cross, R (2001) Acacia leprosa 'Scarlet Blaze' - A vintage red for Victoria's Federation Flower. Australian Plants 21(169): 205-207.

Cross, R (2002) Conservation Genus 14(2): 1-4

Godfrey, J. & Cross, R. (2002) Structural changes associated with the acclimatisation of micropropagated Phalaenopsis Orchid Digest 66(4): 220- 222.

Wright, M., Guest, D. & Cross, R. (2004) Development of mycorrhizal associations in Caladenia tentaculata. Selbyana 25(2):

Books or contributions to books

Cross, R. & Looker, M. (1989) Japanese Flowering Cherries - Prunus Sato-zakura Group Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, South Yarra

Cross, R. and Belling, J. (1993) Bulbs in The Weekly Times Gardening Handbook The Marketing Gap, Prahran, Victoria

Cross, R. (2001) Prunus in Spencer, RS (ed.) Horticultural flora of south-eastern Australia University of New South Wales Press, Sydney

Cross, R. (2002) Handasyde and McMillan in Aitken, R. and Looker, M. (eds.) Oxford companion to Australian gardens Oxford University Press, Melbourne

Cross, R. (ed.) (2003) Orchid Conservation Forum II Program and Abstracts Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, South Yarra