Roger Spencer is Horticultural Botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. He has worked with the taxonomy of cultivated plants and the Plant Identification Service for nearly 20 years. He has written articles for various journals, the Age newspaper and a regular column in Australian Horticulture, also several books on topics including landscape conservation, elms, plant names, silver foliage plants and, more recently the five-volume Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. He has contributed to the native Floras of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, is currently chairman of the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority and on the scientific advisory committee of the Ornamental Plant Conservation Association of Australia. He also manages a databases of plants available in the Australian nursery industry.
Research projects
- Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia
- Cultivated plant taxonomy, curently revising the booklet Plant Names
- Facilitator for a national weed strategy for Australian botanic gardens
- Co-supervisor for development of a database of plant cultivars available in the Australian nursery industry - with students of the University of Melbourne, Burnley College
- Preparing a series of booklets on eco-friendly gardening
Papers
Lumley, P.F. & Spencer, R.D. (1982). Trees in Botanic Gardens 8. - Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Arboricultural Journal 6: 23-35
Lumley, P.F. & Spencer, R.D. (1988). Nomenclatural notes on Callistemon R.Br. (Myrtaceae). Muelleria 6: 411-415
Lumley, P.F. & Spencer, R.D. (1990). Two new species of Callistemon R.Br. (Myrtaceae). Muelleria 7: 253-258
Spencer, R.D. (1986). Fashions in street tree planting in Victoria. Landscape Australia 4: 304-309 (Repeated with modificatios in Arthur, T. & Aldous, D. (eds.)(1988). Trees in the environment. Proc. Conf. 13-15 April, Springvale Town Hall R.A.I.P.R. (Vict. Reg.) )
Spencer, R.D. & Lumley, P.F. (1986). Two new species of Callistemon R.Br. Muelleria 6: 293-298
Spencer, R.D., Dyke, J. & Worboys, W. (1982) Beechworth Cemetery, a landscape study. Journal of the Australian Garden History Society 4: 24-35.
Books
Lumley, P.F. & Spencer, R.D. (1991) Plant Names. Second Edition. Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. ISBN 0 9599758 1 0.
Spencer, R.D. (1987). Growing silver, grey and blue foliage plants. Kangaroo Press. ISBN 0-86417-108-0.
Spencer, R.D. (1995-2005). A Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volumes 1-5. Univ. NSW Press, Sydney.
Spencer, R.D., Hawker, J. & Lumley, P.F. (1991). Elms in Australia. Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Ornamental Plants 3. ISBN 0 7241 9962 4.
Book chapters
Spencer, R.D. (1981). Table of trees suitable for street planting in Victoria. In: Arthur, T.E. & Martin, S.D. (eds.)Street Tree Directory. R.A.I.P.R. (Vict. Region), Melbourne.
Spencer, R.D. (1999). Cultivated plants and the codes of nomenclature - towards the resolution of a demarcation dispute. In: S. Andrews, A.C. Leslie and C. Alexander (eds). Taxonomy of Cultivated Plants: Third International Symposium, pp. 171-181. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Spencer,R.D. & Lumley, P.F. (1986). Callistemon R.Br. In. Flora of South Australia. Part ll Leguminosae - Rubiaceae. pp.894-897
Spencer, R.D. & Lumley, P.F. (1991). Callistemon R.Br. In Harden, G. (ed.) Flora of New South Wales, NSWUP, Kensington.
Reports and brochures
Dyke, J. & Spencer, R.D. (1982). Churchill Island - an historic garden conservation study. Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
Lumley, P.F., Dyke, J., Spencer, R.D. & Almond, E.(1983). Ballarat, historic landscapes, trees and gardens (Part 1) 275pp. Prepared for Ballarat City Council and Ministry of Planning.
Lumley, P.F., Dyke, J., Spencer, R.D. & Gardiner, A.D. (1981). Maldon, a landscape study. Report prepared for the Ministry of Planning.
Lumley, P.F.L., Dyke, J., Spencer, R.D., Gardiner, A.D. (1982) Trees and gardens of the gold-mining era. Ministry of Planning & 99pp.
Spencer, R.D. (1982). Trees in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens (Brochure with map of tree localities in alphabetical and numerical order).
Spencer, R.D., Dyke, J. & Worboys, W. (1981). Beechworth cemetery, a landscape study. Report prepared for the Beechworth Cemetery trustees. 60pp.
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