Elizabeth Eaton Morse (31 December 1864 – 13 November 1955) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

. Born in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...

, she graduated from Ashland, Massachusetts, High School in 1882. For seven years she taught in elementary school before entering

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

, from which she graduated with a

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

from the School of Art in 1891. After twenty years of teaching in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

schools Morris High School and Roosevelt High School, she returned to Wellesley College in 1924 and earned a degree in

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

in 1926. Shortly after, she registered as a part-time graduate student in the Department of Botany at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

, and was given storage and work space to pursue her interests in

cryptogam A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

ic botany. Although she did not work towards an advanced degree, Morse maintained this space for her studies for more than twenty years. During this time, she organized the California Mycological Society as a means to promote the collection and exchange of mycological specimens. She often spent summers on collecting trips throughout North America, and between trips identified, catalogued and distributed her collections. Although primarily interested in macroscopic fungi, she also collected some flowering plants, slime molds, lichens, and mosses. The bulk of her collections now resides at either the

University Herbarium A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

, or in the U.S. National Fungus Collections at

Beltsville, Maryland Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...

. Morse died 13 November 1955 in Berkeley, California. Fungal taxa named by Morse include ''

Albatrellus flettii ''Albatrellus flettii'' is a species of fungus in the family Albatrellaceae. It was originally described in 1941 by Elizabeth Eaton Morse as ''Polyporus flettii'', but this naming was invalid as it lacked a Latin description. Zdeněk Pouzar tran ...

'', ''

Calbovista ''Calbovista'' is a fungal genus containing the single species ''Calbovista subsculpta'', commonly known as the sculptured puffball, sculptured giant puffball, and warted giant puffball. It is a common puffball of the Rocky Mountains and Pacifi ...

'', ''

Cantharellus bonarii ''Cantharellus'' is a genus of popular edible mushrooms, commonly known as chanterelles, a name which can also refer to the type species, ''Cantharellus cibarius''. They are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form symbiotic associations with pla ...

'', ''

Cantharellus wilkinsiae ''Cantharellus'' is a genus of popular edible mushrooms, commonly known as chanterelles, a name which can also refer to the type species, ''Cantharellus cibarius''. They are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form symbiotic associations with pla ...

'', and ''

Tricholoma sclerotoideum ''Tricholoma'' is a genus of fungus that contains many fairly fleshy white-spored gilled mushrooms which are found worldwide generally growing in woodlands. These are ectomycorrhizal fungi, existing in a symbiotic relationship with various spec ...

''.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morse, Elizabeth Eaton American mycologists Mycologists Women mycologists 1864 births 1955 deaths People from Framingham, Massachusetts Wellesley College alumni American women scientists

Publications

See also

References