Reader, Felix Maximilian Franz   (1850 - 1911)

(German: von Reyder)

Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1850, died in Dimboola, Victoria, on 24 March 1911.

He was born in Berlin and trained as a chemist, emigrated to Australia and had a chemist's business in Dimboola, Victoria in the 1890s and early 1900s.

He was an assiduous collector of phanerogams and cryptogams and published many papers on the Vicorian flora in the Victorian Naturalist.

He was an expert on the grasses of the southern Wimmera and described several new species.

His moss collections were dealt with by the Finnish botanist, V. Brotherus and the German, C. Müller.

Willis recorded that Reader's collections "were purchased for the National Herbarium where they rank [for Victoria] second only to Williamson's in point of size and importance".

His collection of about 10,000 specimens was purchased by MEL in 1906 for £80.
Duplicates are in A, B, E, G, H, JE, K, L, MO, NH, NY, P and WAG.
These include specimens from his earlier life in New Zealand, explored in the rather unusual paper "My Botanical friend Felix Reader" referenced below.

NOTE: see article "My Botanical friend Felix Reader" by Ann Collins & Ian St George in Supplement to eColenso August 2017, ISSN 1179-8351
http://182.50.159.24/Newsletters/Year%202017/Reader.pdf
(this also includes information of ? "Edward Reader", who also collected in the 1880s)

Source;
A.E.Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed., ABRS.
Short, P. S. (1990). "Politics and the purchase of private herbaria by the National Herbarium of Victoria". in Short, P. S. (ed.). History of systematic botany in Australia. ASBS. p.6.
Ann Collins & Ian St George "My Botanical friend Felix Reader" in Supplement to eColenso August 2017, ISSN 1179-8351

Collecting localities for 'Reader, F.M.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 2,794 specimens