Margaret Clay Ferguson was an American

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 ...

best known for advancing scientific education in the field of

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 ...

. She also contributed on the life histories of North American

pines A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

. She was born in

Orleans, New York Orleans is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census, up from 2,463 in 2000. The town is located in the northern part of the county and is north of Watertown. Orleans is named after the c ...

in 1863 and attended the

Genesee Wesleyan Seminary The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary was the name of two institutions located on the same site in Lima, New York. The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary (I) was founded in 1831 by the Genesee Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The plan for its ...

in Lima, New York. Ferguson attended

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 ...

, where she graduated in botany and chemistry in 1891, receiving her PhD in botany from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1901. She was the first female President of the

Botanical Society of America The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society. History The soci ...

in 1929.

Career

She became professor of botany and head of the department at Wellesley College in 1930. She collected botany specimens with her niece Alice Maria Ottley. Ferguson worked on a variety of systems including

Fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

and

Petunia ''Petunia'' is genus of 20 species of flowering plants of South American origin. The popular flower of the same name derived its epithet from the French, which took the word ''petun'', meaning "tobacco," from a Tupi–Guarani language. A tende ...

. Her study on the latter revealed how plant flower color and pattern do not follow

Mendelian Mendelian inheritance (also known as Mendelism) is a type of biology, biological Heredity, inheritance following the principles originally proposed by Gregor Mendel in 1865 and 1866, re-discovered in 1900 by Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns, an ...

laws of inheritance. Ferguson encouraged many women botanists during her time at Wellesley College where lab work was a major of her teaching. In 1931

Susan Minns Susan Minns (21 August 1839 – 2 August 1938) (born Susanna Minns) was an American biologist, philanthropist, and collector. She was one of the first women to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She created a notable and extensiv ...

donated funds to Wellesley College to support Ferguson in her research. In 1932, Ferguson retired from Wellesley College, though she continued researching until 1938. She received an

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from

Mount Holyoke Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile (160 km) Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the ...

. In her later years, she spent time in Florida before moving to San Diego where she died of a heart attack in 1951. Greenhouses in the

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens are botanical gardens located on the campus of Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The greenhouses and 22 acres of outdoor gardens include thousands of plants representing over 1,500 different t ...

are named in her honor.

Taxonomist

Seasonal Display House - Wellesley College - DSC09724

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Margaret Clay 1863 births 1951 deaths American women botanists Botanists active in North America Botanical Society of America Wellesley College faculty Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Wellesley College alumni People from Jefferson County, New York Scientists from New York (state) 19th-century American botanists 20th-century American botanists 19th-century American women scientists 20th-century American women scientists American women academics

Career

Taxonomist

See also

References