Cranfield, Raymond Jeffrey (Ray)   (1947 -  )

Born and educated in Perth, Western Australia.

He commenced work as a Laboratory Assistant at Mount Lawley Technical College in 1968, advancing to Assistant Laboratory Manager before being appointed as Laboratory Manager at the Western Australian Herbarium in 1978.

His interest in plants led to new roles involving plant identifcation, field survey and taxonomic research, which led to a Post Graduate Diploma in Natural Resources from Curtin University, Perth, conferred in 1998, his dissertation resulting in a revision of Pericalymma (Myrtaceae).

In 1999 Ray transferred to a Department of Conservation and Land Management regional research centre at Manjimup, and was promoted to Principal Technical Officer. There he participated in a range of projects, including fire research, and continued his taxonomic work, including a checklist of lichens for Western Australia.

He retired in 2013, remaining active in lichen survey work and volunteering at the regional herbarium in Bunbury.

Ray published a number of taxonomic papers in which he described 21 plant species from several families, especially the Ericaceae.

Ray also had a particular interest in lichens, travelling overseas on a Churchill Fellowship in 2007, and conducting a series of community workshops on lichen identification and biology.

He is recognised as the most prolific collector of specimens in WA's history with over 36,000 numbers held at the Western Australian Herbarium.

Source: Extracted from:
Pers.Comm. T.Macfarlane-M.Fagg email 18/3/2026
Pers.Comm. R.Barrett-M.Fagg email 16/3/2026
Pers.Comm B.Lepschi-M.Fagg 23/3/2026
Portrait Photo: from: R.Underwood, 'A Botanical Journey, The Story of the Western Australian Herbarium' (2011), p.192.

Collecting localities for 'Cranfield, R.J.' from AVH (2026)

Data from 36,697 specimens