Mary Elizabeth Barber
Mary Elizabeth Barber , b. Bowker (born January 5, 1818 in South Newton , Wiltshire , † September 4, 1899 in Pietermaritzburg , colony Natal , today South Africa ) was a British nature painter, entomologist and botanist .
Career
Mary E. Barber moved with her parents to South Africa in 1820 and grew up there on the family farm in Lower Albany . She was interested in the flora there and put on extensive collections. She stood from the age of 20 u. a. in written contact with the naturalist Charles Darwin , the botanist William Harvey and the Hooker brothers . She published the results of her work in the Journal of the Linnean Society and in the Kew Bulletin . In 1843 she married Frederick William Barber (1814-1892) and settled with him on a sheep farm in the Highlands near Grahamstown. The marriage had three children.
Scientific appreciation
Barber was widely recognized for her extensive knowledge, particularly in the field of botany and entomology. The Hungarian Ornithological Society selected her as a member. Charles Darwin received valuable information from her for his work On the Origin of Species . Several of her technical papers have been translated into Hungarian. In the course of her botanical collecting activities, Mary E. Barber discovered two types of plants from the genus Stapelia , the Stapelia glabricaulis and the Stapelia jucunda as well as the Aloe barberae . Her herbarium and some of her Stapeliae drawings are housed in the Albany Museum in Grahamstown , and other drawings by her are in the Kew Museum in England . Barber was included in Men of the Times .
Taxa named after Barber
The genera Barberetta and Bowkeria as well as the plant species such as Brachystelma barberiae , Aloe barberae , Iboza barberae , Diascia barberae are named after her. Iboza barbarae is now considered the basionym of Tetradenia barberae .
swell
literature
- Renate Strohmeyer: Lexicon of the natural scientists and women of Europe . Verlag Harri Deutsch, ISBN 3-8171-1567-9 , p. 34
- Entry Barber, Mary Elizabeth at Jstor Plant Science
- Tanja Hammel: Thinking with birds: Mary Elizabeth Barber's advocacy for gender equality in ornithology. Kronos : Southern African Histories 41: 1 (2015), pp. 85-111.
- http://blog.marybarber.org
Web links
supporting documents
- ^ South African History Online : Mary Elizabeth Barber, pioneer naturalist, dies
- ^ South African National Biodiversity Institute's plant information website: Aloe barberae
- ^ Biodiversity Explorer: Barber, Mary E.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Barber, Mary Elizabeth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Barber, Mary E .; Bowker Mary Elizabeth (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British botanist and entomologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 5, 1818 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | South Newton , Wiltshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 4, 1899 |
| Place of death | Pietermaritzburg , Natal Colony |