Annie Gravatt (Annie Evelyn Rathbun) was an American forest pathologist. Her areas of research included

plant physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

and white pine blister rust. She also studied

Chestnut blight The pathogenic fungus ''Cryphonectria parasitica'' (formerly ''Endothia parasitica'') is a member of the Ascomycota (sac fungi). This necrotrophic fungus is native to East Asia and South East Asia and was introduced into Europe and North America ...

, the fungus that devastated

American chestnut The American chestnut (''Castanea dentata'') is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. As is true of all species in genus Castanea, the American chestnut produces burred fruit with edible nuts. ...

trees in the early 20th century. Along with her husband, George Gravatt, she founded the community of Scientists' Cliffs, Maryland.

Education

Gravatt received her B.A. from Brown University in 1916, and her M.S. in 1918.Bailey, Martha J. American Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary. Denver, CO: ABC-CLIO, 1994

Career

Gravatt spent her entire career with the United States Department of Agriculture, in the agency's Bureau of Plant Industry. She also served on the editorial staff of ''Phytopathology'', the journal of the American Phytopathological Society. She was a member of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

and the American Phytopathological Society.

Publications

The following is an incomplete list of Gravatt's publications: * 1918. The fungous flora of pine seed beds. Phytopathology 8: 469-483. ravatt Annie Rathbun. 582 * 1921. Methods of direct inoculation with damping -off fungi. Phytopathology 11: 80-84. ravatt Annie Rathbun. 583 * 1922. Root rot of pine seedlings. Phytopathology 12: 213-220, illus. ravatt Annie Rathbun. 584 * 1923. Damping -off of taproots of conifers. Phytopathology 13: 385-391. Gravatt, Annie Rathbun. 585 * 1925. Direct inoculation of coniferous stems with damping- off fungi. Jour. Agr. Res. 30: 327-339, illus. Gravatt, Annie Rathbun. 586 * 1925. Conditions antecedent to the infection of white pines by Cronartium ribicola in the northeastern United States. Phytopathology, 15: 573-583. Spaulding, P. and Annie Rathbun-Gravatt. * 1925. Longevity of the uredospores, teliospores, and sporidia of Cronartium ribicola (Abstract). Phytopathology, 15: 58.Spaulding, P. and Annie Rathbun-Gravatt. * 1925. Inoculation of pinus strobus trees with sporidia of Cronartium ribicola. Phytopathology: 15: 584-590. Snell, Walter H., Gravatt, Annie. * 1925. Longevity of the teliospores and accompanying uredospores of Cronartium ribicola. Fischer in 1923. Journal of Agriculture, Res. 31: 901-916. Spaulding, P. and Annie Rathbun-Gravatt. * 1925. The influence of physical factors on the viability of sporidia of Cronartium ribicola. Fischer in 1923. Journal of Agriculture, Res. 33: 397-433. Spaulding, P. and Annie Rathbun-Gravatt. * 1927. A witches' broom of introduced Japanese cherry trees. Phytopathology 17: 19-24, illus. Gravatt, Annie Rathbun. 587 * 1927. The results of inoculating Pinus strobus with the sporidia of Cronartium ribicola. Jour. Agr. Res. 34: 497-510. (Illustrated) York, HH. Walter H Snell. Annie Gravatt. * 1931. Germination loss of coniferous seeds due to parasites. Jour. Agr. Res. 42: 71-92. Gravatt, Annie Rathbun, and others. 588 * 1937. Some effects of plant diseases on variability of yields. Phytopathology: 27: 159-171. Carl Hartley, Annie Gravatt. * 1942. Systemic brooming, a virus disease of black locust. Jour. Forestry 40: 253-260, illus. Gravatt, Annie Rathbun. 581

Scientists' Cliffs

Annie Gravatt and her husband George "Flippo" Gravatt founded the community of Scientists' Cliffs, Maryland in 1937. Annie and George were initially interested in the

Calvert County Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of t ...

site, overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, because they thought it had potential as a preserve for the

. Originally, the site was a cluster of rustic summer cabins, including the Gravatts', built from chestnut trees killed by the blight. Eventually, the community grew and attracted year-round residents, and today, has over 200 homes. Membership in the community is selective; prospective homeowners must hold an advanced degree or have "outstanding professional experience." In the 1980s, the Gravatt's property was purchased by th
American Chestnut Land Trust
Adkins, Leonard M. 50 Hikes in Maryland: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from the Allegheny Plateau to the Atlantic Ocean. The Countryman Press, 2013 A hiking trail, "Gravatt Lane," and nearby "Gravatt Stream," were named in honor of the Gravatts. The Gravatts' cabin is now a museum displaying fossils and marine life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravatt, Annie 1894 births 1986 deaths American phytopathologists Women phytopathologists 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American scientists Brown University alumni United States Department of Agriculture people 20th-century agronomists