Frederick Manson Bailey

Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was an Australian botanist who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson. The standard author abbreviation F.M.Bailey is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.

Early life Frederick Manson Bailey was born in London, the second son of John Bailey. The Bailey family were nurserymen and seedsmen for many years in London, sometimes connected with Loddiges nurseries. Frederick was educated at the foundation school of the Independent Church at Hackney, London. The family went to Australia in 1838 arriving at Adelaide in March 1839 where John was appointed as colonial botanist by the governor, George Gawler, and started to form the Adelaide Botanic Garden. John Bailey held the position of colonial botanist until 1841. and in 1881 was appointed Queensland colonial botanist.

Legacy Around 50 species of plants have been named after him, including Acacia baileyana and Grevillea baileyana. A son, John Frederick Bailey, who survived him, was director of the Brisbane and then Adelaide botanic gardens and Cyril Tenison White, government botanist of Queensland was his grandson and a pupil-assistant in 1905.