Amy Jacot Guillarmod facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amy Jacot Guillarmod
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| Born |
Amy Hean
23 May 1911 Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
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| Died | 1992 |
| Education | M.A. M.Sc. D.Sc. |
| Alma mater | University of St Andrews |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Frédéric Jacot-Guillarmod |
| Scientific career | |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Jacot Guill |
Amy Jacot Guillarmod (born Amy Hean) was a South African scientist. She was born on May 23, 1911, and passed away in 1992.
Amy was a botanist, meaning she studied plants. She was also a limnologist, which means she studied fresh water like lakes and rivers. She is well-known for her work on the plants of Basutoland (now Lesotho). She also wrote many papers about wetlands, bogs, and sponges.
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Becoming a Scientist
Amy went to Durban Girls' High School in South Africa. After finishing school, she traveled to Edinburgh.
She first earned a Master of Arts (MA) degree from the University of St Andrews. This degree was in English and History. However, she became very interested in science. She then decided to study Botany (plants) and Zoology (animals). She earned a Master of Science (MSc) degree in these subjects from the same university.
Early Career in South Africa
When Amy returned to South Africa, she taught for a short time in Durban. After that, she became a plant pathologist in Pretoria. A plant pathologist is a scientist who studies plant diseases. Her first research papers were about diseases that affected tobacco and other crops.
Working in Basutoland
From 1940 to 1957, Amy lived and worked in Basutoland. This country is now known as Lesotho.
In 1956 and 1957, she became the head of the Botany Department. This was at the Pius XII College in Roma. Amy also started the Roma Herbarium in 1956. A herbarium is like a library for dried plant specimens. Scientists keep these plants to study them later.
Later Work and Recognition
In 1958, Amy and her family moved to Grahamstown. She started working as a lecturer in the Botany Department at Rhodes University.
She never forgot her work in Basutoland. In 1967, she received a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from the University of St Andrews. This high degree was given for her important research on the plants of Basutoland.
Amy Jacot Guillarmod is remembered in the names of several living things. These include a type of grass called Merxmuellera guillarmodiae. There are also types of algae named Navicula jacotiae and Pinnularia guillarmodiae. Volume 50, part 1 (1988) of The Flowering Plants of Africa was also dedicated to her.
She collected about 10,000 plant samples. Most of these were from Lesotho and the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. These samples are kept in various herbaria around the world for scientists to study.
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Amy Jacot Guillarmod
