Introducing a significant part of Te Papa’s macro-algae (seaweed) collection – The complete Algae Nova-Zelandicae Exciccatae by Victor W Lindauer.
Algae Nova-Zelandicae Exsiccatae – 14 Fascicles – Victor W Lindauer.
Victor Willhelm Lindauer (1888-1964) was a school teacher who became fascinated with seaweeds after he met a team of North American phycologists (seaweed scientists) who visited the Bay of Islands in 1935. Between 1939 and 1953, with the influence of Professor WA Setchell, University of California at Berkeley, he prepared and widely distributed approximately 60 sets of 14 fascicles (or divisions) named the Algae Nova-Zelandicae Exsiccatae (ANZE).
His family, school pupils and many associates (including Mrs Eileen Willa from Stewart Island) helped with the collecting effort. The main locations for the collections were Northland, Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Kaikoura and Stewart Island.
The ANZE collections provided a solid platform for future phycology, in New Zealand and overseas. Victor W Lindauer became New Zealand’s leading phycologist, describing numerous species. He inspired and influenced first his primary school students and later (after he became a Senior Research Fellow at Auckland University College) younger Phycologists.
Originally, each fascicle contianed 25 sheets. Today, is is difficult to find a complete collection of the ANZE and the collection held by Te Papa is about as good as it gets. Represented within this blog page is one specimen from each fascicle, but all the Te Papa sheets have been imaged and published as ‘Algae Nova-Zelandicae Exsiccatae – 14 Fascicles – Victor W Lindauer’ on Te Papa Collections Online.
Te Papa’s Collections Online is a great way to access online narratives, which feature information and images about groups of related collection objects. Current Te Papa Botany Narratives relate to a wide range of subject matter, including information about different taxa, donations, current research, collection highlights and famous collectors. The collection objects chosen for narratives are often decided by the importance of the collection in their own right, or by public demand. So remember, if there is a group of items, or subject matter, that you would like Te Papa to feature as a narrative, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
Other posts in the ‘Botany Collection Narratives’ series:
Botany Collection Narratives (Part 1): Recent Botany Donations
Botany Collection Narratives (Part 3): Image highlights from Hue te Taka (Moa Point) Narrative
Botany Collection Narratives (Part 4): Expedition Snares Islands
References:
Victor Willhelm Lindauer (1888-1964): his life and works: Tuhinga 1
Your blog on seaweeds is very interesting. I have a particular interest in algal bloom as my wife was adversely affected from eating cockles taken from the Coromandel harbour at Opoutere some years ago. At that time, neither the local doctor at Whitianga nor the hospital at Thames recognised the symptoms. Fortunately she recovered, later dying from other causes. Do you have any references to the toxic algal bloom? Thanks.
Hi Ian. Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately, the expertise at Te Papa extends only to Macro algae (such as those seaweed species featured in this blog) rather than microalgae (cyanobacteria). There appears to be good toxicity & general information on algal blooms, found via a google search. You may also want to contact Dr Susie Wood, Cawthron Institute, Nelson, who is an expert in cyanobacteria.
http://www.cawthron.org.nz/people/2-susie-wood/