Richards, Anne (Annie) Frances (née Crafter) (1845 - 1930)

Born in England, 14 August 1845; died in in SA of senile decay, 23 December 1930.

The eldest daughter of a chemist, Richard Crafter (1821-1910), and his wife Ann (c.1831-1904). The family migrated to SA when Annie was 8 years old. In 1867, Annie married Thomas Paul Richards (1842-1915), a police trooper at Fowler Bay (who also collected MEL specimens). They did not have any children. The Richards lived at Fowler Bay (where Annie was the first white woman) until 1884, followed by postings at Port Augusta (1884-1887), Beltana, Teetulpa, Warrina (1887-1890), Port Pirie (1890), Georgetown (1891-1893), Jamestown (1894), Mount Barker (1899-1902) and Moonta (1902-1903).

Annie collected (numbered) MEL specimens (including fungi) at Fowler Bay, c.1875-1890; Euria/Eureo Rockhole and Pidinga, north of 'Point Bell', 1880; Port Lincoln, and between Port Lincoln and Streaky Bay, 1882; Leigh Creek, north of Beltana, 1887; between Flinders Ranges and Lake Torrens, and at 'Port Augusta East', 1884-1885; Mount Ogilvie, 1889; Beltana, Warrina, and Blinman, 1890; Georgetown, 1893; and upper Broughton River, 1894.

She (or her husband) collected types of:

Eucalyptus youngiana F.Muell (1876) as 'Richardson',
Erysimum richardsii F.Muell. (1877),
Parmelia hypoxantha Müll.Arg. (1881),
Parmelia conspersa var. polyphylloides Müll.Arg. (1883),
Puccinia wurmbeae Cooke & Massee (1888),
Helipterum troedelii F.Muell. (1890), as 'Mrs Richards',
Helipterum jessenii F.Muell. (1890),
Bassia longicuspis F.Muell. (1891), as 'Mrs Richards', and
Nicotiana goodspeedii H.-M.Wheeler (1935), as 'Richards'.

Annie also collected AD, BRI and NSW specimens.

Annie died in 1930 in SA of senile decay.

Mueller gave Annie a copy of his Select extra-tropical plants (1885).

Two letters from Annie to Mueller survive.

Source: extracted from: Maroske, Sara and Vaughan, Alison (2014) 'Ferdinand Mueller's female plant collectors: a biographical register', Muelleria Vol.32 [consult for source references]
Portrait Photo: State Library of SA, D6462/3(L)

Collecting localities for 'Richards, A.F.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 933 specimens