Dorothy G. Downie (1894–1960) was a Scottish botanist and forester. She is known for her research on the fungal symbionts and nutritional requirements of orchids.

Biography

Dorothy G. Downie graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1917 with a B.S. in science and in 1919 with a B.S. in forestry. She was the first woman to receive a degree in forestry from the University of Edinburgh. From 1919 to 1920 she studied at

Moray House Training College The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood Campus, l ...

, where she qualified in professional training for teachers. From 1920 to 1925 she worked at the University of Aberdeen as an assistant to William Grant Craib. In 1925 she received a Carnegie scholarship and became a graduate student at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. There she received in 1928 a PhD in botany with a dissertation on the morphology of the male gametophyte of ''

Microcycas calocoma ''Microcycas'' is a genus of cycads in the family Zamiaceae containing only one species, ''Microcycas calocoma'', endemic to a small area in western Cuba in Pinar del Río Province. Description The plant grows up to 10 m tall with an upright, so ...

''. In 1927 she went to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, where she collected cycads by riding on horseback through the Cordillera de Guaniguanico. At the University of Aberdeen, Downie worked as an assistant from 1928 to 1929, a lecturer from 1929 to 1949, and a reader from 1949 to 1960. In 1960 she retired due to a progressive disease and died in August of that year.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downie, Dorothy G. 1894 births 1960 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh University of Chicago alumni Academics of the University of Aberdeen 20th-century British botanists British women botanists