Allan Mere Award for 1998:
William (Bill) Russell Sykes (1927–2018)
Bill Sykes, Allan Mere recipient for 1998.
Left: staff photo, 1968.
Right: Bill proudly holding the first copy of
the Cook Islands Flora to arrive at the Allan Herbarium, 2016.
Photos: © Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.
“Bill Sykes came to Botany Division from Kew
in 1961, and quickly became the foremost authority on New
Zealand’s cultivated flora as well as acquiring an unrivalled
knowledge of the plants of the Polynesian islands. He wrote floras
of the Kermadec Islands and Niue, co-authored Volume IV of the
Flora of New Zealand, and served as the Division’s main link with
the horticultural community.”
Citation reproduced from the Allan Mere awards book.