Frederick Manson BaileyCMG(8 March 1827 25 June 1915) was a botanist active inAustralia,

who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora ofQueensland.

Early life[edit]
Bailey was born inLondon, the second son of John Bailey (horticulturist and first Colonial Botanist
ofSouth Australia[1]) and his wife,neManson. Frederick was educated at the foundation school of
the Independent Church at Hackney, London. The family went to Australia in 1838 arriving
atAdelaideon 22 March 1839 in theBuckinghamshire. John Bailey was appointed colonial botanist
soon afterwards, and was asked to form a botanic garden. John Bailey resigned in 1841, began
farming, and subsequently started a plant nursery at Adelaide In these ventures he was assisted by
his son, Frederick.

Career[edit]
In 1858 Bailey went toNew Zealandand took up land in theHutt Valley. In 1861 Frederick started a
seedsman's business inBrisbane. For some years he was collecting in various parts of Queensland,
and he also contributed articles to the newspapers on plant life. Bailey married Anna Maria, eldest
daughter of the Rev. T. Waite in 1856.
In 1874 Bailey published aHandbook to the Ferns of Queensland, and in the following year was
made botanist to the board appointed to investigate diseases of live stock and plants. Consequently,
Bailey in 1879 publishedAn Illustrated Monograph of the Grasses of QueenslandwithKarl Staiger.
He was afterwards put in charge of the botanical section of theQueensland Museum, in 1881 was
made colonial botanist of Queensland, and held this position until his death. He published in
1881The Fern World of Australia, and in 1883 appearedA Synopsis of the Queensland Flora, a
work of nearly 900 pages to which supplementary volumes were added in later years. This work was
superseded byThe Queensland Flora, published in six volumes between 1899 and 1902 with an
index published three years later. In the meantime there had beenA Companion for the Queensland
Student of Plant Life and Botany Abridged(1897), a revised reissue of two earlier pamphlets. Among
other works of Bailey wasA Catalogue of the Indigenous and Naturalised Plants of
Queensland(1890). This was expanded into aComprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants,
Both Indigenous and Naturalised(1912), which appeared with many illustrations.
Bailey travelled widely, important expeditions includedRockingham Bay,Seaview Rangeand the
upperHerbert River(1873), western Queensland, Roma andRockhampton(1876),Cairnsand
theBarron River(1877),Bellenden Ker(1889),Georgina River(1895),Torres Strait(1897)
andBritish New Guinea(1898). Bailey was awarded theClarke Medalof theRoyal Society of New
South Walesin 1902, and was created C.M.G. in 1911. Bailey died on 25 June 1915 at Kangaroo
Point, Brisbane. He is buried inSouth Brisbane Cemetery.[2]