His academic career was based at the University of Leicester, where he held the post of Professor of Plant taxonomy.

It aims to include all the taxa that could reasonably found in the British Isles during the year and also to keep up with developments in taxonomy.

Line drawings from the second edition onwards, along with some black and white photographs, provide illustrations of key features for some species.

[1] In 2012 a newly described grass species, Brachypodium stacei (previously regarded as a form of purple false brome), was named in his honour.

[3] He has also been responsible for a number of notable publications relating to the vascular plant flora of Britain and Ireland: He also wrote the student textbook Plant Taxonomy and Biosystematics (1980, 2nd ed 1991) (Contemporary Biology Series) Edward Arnold, then Cambridge University Press.