BOTANICAL - Key Persons

Botanical Identifications was established in 1979 by Dr Ian Richardson, plant taxonomist and biogeographer, at that time a research botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Ian has also worked in the Natural History Museum and at Reading University, researching the wild plants of Europe and beyond. Having discovered species new to science, and written and contributed to many publications, including several Floras, he is well-fitted to identify botanical specimens. Particularly relevant to this consultancy are his books Tree Recognition: A Pocket Manual and Tree Roots and Buildings; click these titles for descriptions, or read about them in publications. Ian also gives lectures and informal talks on these and related topics. As a major part of the consultancy work, we identify tree roots. Over the past twenty-five years we have inspected several million roots, of which Ian has reported in detail on almost half a million, after examination of some four million microscope sections. As the most experienced organisation world-wide in this context, our tree root identification service is highly valued. Our associated site visit commitments, although now limited, have led to Ian serving as an expert witness in the courts and he has also been invited to act as an advisor to national organisations.