Anna Amelia Obermeyer facts for kids

Anna Amelia Mauve (née Obermeyer) (1907 – 2001) was a South African botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. She worked at the Botanical Research Institute in Pretoria. She was very good at identifying and listing plants. She recorded over 4,000 different plant types from the Kalahari and Soutpansberg areas. She also wrote for important science magazines like Flowering Plants of Africa and Bothalia.

Early Life and Career

Anna Amelia Obermeyer was born on July 30, 1907, in Pretoria, South Africa. She went to Oost Eind Skool. She then studied at the Transvaal University College in Pretoria. She earned her first degree in 1928 and a master's degree in 1931.

From 1929 to 1938, she worked as a botanist at the Transvaal Museum. In 1938, she married Anton Mauve. She took a break from her professional work for many years.

She returned to her career in 1957. She joined the National Herbarium. A herbarium is like a library for dried plant specimens. It helps scientists study and identify plants. Her old job at the Transvaal Museum had actually moved to the National Herbarium in 1953. So, she was back doing what she loved!

At the National Herbarium, she focused on a group of plants called petaloid monocots. These are flowering plants with petals that grow in groups of three. She worked there until she reached retirement age in July 1972. But she loved her work so much that she came back! She worked part-time for many more years. In 1984, she was promoted to a senior research position. She finally retired in August 1985 and moved to Pinelands, Cape Town. Anna Amelia Mauve passed away on October 10, 2001, in Cape Town.

What She Studied

When Anna worked at the Transvaal Museum, she mostly studied plants in the Acanthaceae family. This family includes plants like Barleria, Blepharis, and Petalidium.

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  Acanthaceae plants are known for their beautiful flowers.

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  Barleria plants often have colorful flowers.

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  Blepharis plants are found in dry areas.

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  Petalidium plants have delicate flowers.

She also helped record a huge collection of plants from an expedition to the Kalahari Desert. This was one of the first times the plants of this desert region were properly listed. She also went on an expedition to the Soutpansberg Salt Pan and wrote about the plants they found there.

In 1957, she started focusing on petaloid monocots. She discovered and described many new species of these plants. She also wrote descriptions for pictures of plants published in the journal Flowering Plants of Africa. Volume 42 of this journal was even dedicated to her! She also updated the descriptions of plants like Anthericum, Dipcadi, and Lagarosiphon.

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  Anthericum is a type of flowering plant.

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  Dipcadi plants have bell-shaped flowers.

She collected more than 4,000 plant samples during her many trips across South Africa and Rhodesia (which is now Zimbabwe). She often went on these trips with another scientist, V.F.M. FitzSimons.

Awards and Honours

Anna Amelia Obermeyer received the senior medal for botany from the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB). She was honored because she had contributed more to their projects than any other botanist.

She was also a member of several important scientific groups. These included the South African Biological Society, where she even edited their journal. She was a founding member of the South African Association of Botanists. She was also part of international groups like Association pour l'Étude Taxonomique de la Flore d'Afrique Tropicale (AETFAT) and S₂A₃ (the South African Association for the Advancement of Science).

Plants Named After Her

When a scientist discovers a new plant or animal, they sometimes name it after another scientist who has done important work. This is a way to honor them. Several plants were named after Anna Amelia Obermeyer, including:

• Asparagus obermeyerae
• Barleria ameliae
• Blepharis obermeyerae
• Hemizygia obermeyerae
• Lachenalia ameliae

See Also

In Spanish: Anna Amelia Obermeyer para niños