Augusta Vera Duthie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Augusta Vera Duthie
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Augusta V. Duthie
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| Born | 18 July 1881 Belvidere, Knysna
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| Died | 8 August 1963 (aged 82) Belvidere, Knysna
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| Alma mater | South African College University of South Africa |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | botanist |
| Institutions | Victoria College |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | A.V.Duthie |
Augusta Vera Duthie (born July 18, 1881 – died August 8, 1963) was an important South African botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Augusta Duthie spent her life studying the plants of the Western Cape region in South Africa. She was also a very popular teacher. She taught about cryptogamic botany, which means she focused on plants that don't have flowers or seeds, like mosses and ferns. She was the first university lecturer in botany in South Africa who had completed all her education right there in the country.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Augusta Vera Duthie was one of five children. She was born to Archibald Hamilton and Augusta Vera Duthie in Belvidere, near Knysna, South Africa.
She went to college and earned several degrees:
- She received a B.A. degree from Huguenot College in 1901.
- She earned her M.A. degree from South African College in 1910.
- Later, she completed her D.Sc. degree from the University of South Africa in 1929.
Academic Career and Plant Studies
In 1902, Augusta Duthie started working as a botany lecturer at Victoria College. This college is now known as the University of Stellenbosch.
In 1912, she traveled to England to visit Cambridge University. There, she worked with a famous scientist named Albert Seward.
Augusta Duthie spent a lot of time studying the plants around the college. In 1929, she finished a detailed study of the flora (which means all the plants growing in an area) of the Stellenbosch Flats. This was a flat, alluvial area, meaning it was made of soil deposited by rivers.
She retired from her teaching job in 1939. After retiring, she went back to manage her family's farm, Belvidere. She lived there until she passed away in 1963. In her will, she left money to St Andrew's College, where she had also taught. This money was used to help fund scholarships for students.
Things Named After Her
Many plants and even an animal have been named after Augusta Duthie to honor her work. These are called eponyms.
- Duthieastrum (a type of plant)
- Duthie's golden mole Chlorotalpa duthieae (a small animal)
- Impatiens duthieae (a flowering plant)
- Ischyrolepis duthieae (Pillans) H. P. Linder (a type of plant)
- Ornithogalum duthiae (a flowering plant)
- Psilocaulon duthieae (a succulent plant)
- Romulea duthieae (a flowering plant)
- Ruschia duthiae (a succulent plant)
- Stomatium duthieae (a succulent plant)
Commemoration
Augusta Duthie is remembered in a special way at the Holy Trinity Church in Belvidere, near Knysna. There is a beautiful stained glass window in the north wall of the church dedicated to her. This church was actually founded by her ancestor, Thomas Henry Duthie.
See also
In Spanish: Augusta Vera Duthie para niños
