Margaret Williamson Rea (1875 – 17 April 1954) was an Irish

botanist 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 wo ...

Life

Margaret Williamson Rea was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

in 1875, the eldest daughter of Robert and Eleanor Rea. She studied at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

(QUB), graduating with a B.Sc. in 1919, followed by an M.Sc. in 1921. She published a number of papers in the ''

New Phytologist ''New Phytologist'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published on behalf of the New Phytologist Foundation by Wiley-Blackwell. It was founded in 1902 by botanist Arthur Tansley, who served as editor until 1931. Topics covered ''New Phytolo ...

'' and ''Protoplasma'', two co-authored with Prof. James Small; another was based on her masters thesis, ''Stomata and Hydathodes in ''Campanula rotundifolia'' L., and their Relations to Environment'', and in it she acknowledges Professor R. H. Yapp, "at whose suggestion the work was commenced". She also co-authored at least one paper with Margarita D. Stelfox. She specialised in the collection and description of

Mycetozoa Mycetozoa is a polyphyletic grouping of slime molds. It was originally thought to be a monophyletic clade, but recently it was discovered that protostelia are a polyphyletic group within Conosa. Classification It can be divided into dictyostelid ...

, recording a number of her records in the ''

Irish Naturalists' Journal The ''Irish Naturalists' Journal'' () is a scientific journal covering all aspects of natural history. It has been published since 1925. It was predecessed by ''The Irish Naturalist'' (1892−1924). References External links *''The Irish Na ...

''. Some specimens collected by Rea are held in the

National University of Ireland, Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

. Others form part of the Stelfox Collection in the herbarium of the

Ulster Museum The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasure ...

. She joined the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club in 1907 and in 1918/1919, when her address was given as Salem House,

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...

, Belfast, was one of its two secretaries, alongside Dr. (later Professor) J. K. Charlesworth of QUB. In the 1924 membership list of the

British Mycological Society The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi. Formation The British Mycological Society (BMS) was formed by the combined efforts of two local societies: the Woolhope Naturalists' Field ...

, which she joined in 1920, her address was again given as Salem House. She died suddenly in hospital, on 17 April 1954.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rea, Margaret Williamson 1875 births 20th-century Irish botanists Irish women botanists Scientists from Belfast 20th-century British botanists 20th-century Irish women scientists Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Irish mycologists 1954 deaths