Murray Henwood

Associate Professor Murray Henwood serves in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney, holding the position of Associate Professor in Biological Sciences. He completed his PhD at the Australian National University in 1988 under the supervision of Judy West, with a thesis entitled 'Biosystematic Aspects of Polyscias J. R. & G. Forst. in Malesia and Australia.' His academic career at the University of Sydney encompasses research and teaching in plant sciences, where he contributes to the Plant Systematics Laboratory. This laboratory investigates molecular and cellular aspects of plant diversity, focusing on patterns of variation within the Australian flora through the integration of fossils, geographic distributions, morphology, anatomy, and nucleotide sequences.

Henwood's research specializations include the systematics, phylogeny, and biogeography of flowering plants, with particular emphasis on Australian species and their global relationships. His interests extend to plant anatomy, morphology, reproductive biology, and specific families such as Araliaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, and Loganiaceae. He has authored or co-authored numerous publications documenting new species and phylogenetic relationships, including 'Hydrocotyle rivularis: a new trifoliate species from south-eastern Australia,' 'Six new species of Hydrocotyle L. (Apiaceae) from Queensland,' 'Actinotus periculosus (Apiaceae): a new perennial species from eastern Australia,' 'Plastome sequences and exploration of tree-space help to resolve the phylogeny of riceflowers (Thymelaeaceae: Pimelea),' 'Molecular phylogenetics provides new insights into the systematics of Pimelea and Thecanthes (Thymelaeaceae),' 'A Comparative Analysis of Whole Plastid Genomes from the Apiales' (2015), 'Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Prostanthera (Lamiaceae)' (2012), and 'Low genetic differentiation among morphologically distinct Cycas calcicola' (2024). He maintains an active profile with 48 publications cited over 458 times and is associated with 261 collecting localities in the Australasian Virtual Herbarium. As curator of the John Ray Herbarium, he supports taxonomic research and biodiversity documentation.

Professional Email: murray.henwood@sydney.edu.au