Elisa Caroline Bommer facts for kids
Elisa Caroline Bommer (born Destrée) was a Belgian botanist who lived from 1832 to 1910. She was an expert in mycology, which is the study of fungi like mushrooms. Elisa was married to Jean-Édouard Bommer, a professor of botany who studied ferns.
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About Elisa Caroline Bommer
Her Early Life and Family
When Elisa was young, her father worked at the Castle of Laeken, which is the official home of the Belgian King. This meant she could explore the huge castle grounds and park. She was taught by a governess at home. At age ten, she went to a boarding school. She missed her freedom at first but soon got used to school and became very good at music.
When she was twenty, Elisa started working in a business job. This made her unhealthy because of the long hours and boring tasks. Her family doctor knew she loved botany (the study of plants). He introduced her to Jean-Édouard Bommer, a botanist who specialized in ferns. Elisa and Jean-Edouard got married in 1865. One of their children, Charles, later became a palaeobotanist, someone who studies ancient plants.
Discovering the World of Fungi
Even with a busy family, Elisa became more and more involved in botany. She ended up describing over 200 different types of fungi! In 1873, she met Marietta Hannon Rousseau, who also loved studying plants. They worked together on many projects.
Elisa's husband, Jean-Edouard, suggested that the two friends study the fungi in their local area. Not many people had studied these fungi before. Elisa and Mariette used books by other botanists to help them. They also had access to a great library at the local botanical garden.
They published many important papers about fungi between 1879 and 1890. They even wrote about fungi from Costa Rica in 1896, using samples collected by Henri François Pittier. Later, they studied fungi collected during a Belgian trip to Antarctica in 1897-1899. They wrote a report about these Antarctic fungi in 1905. Elisa also looked at fungi from the Netherlands, especially around The Hague.
Later Years and Her Legacy
In her last years, Elisa found it hard to move around because of a physical disability. But this didn't stop her from playing the piano. She also started painting plants, including fungi and flowering plants.
When she passed away, her collection of fungi went to the Brussels Botanical Garden. Today, it is kept at the herbarium in Meise.
A special group of fungi, called Bommerella, was named after her by another botanist, Élie Marchal. This was a way to honor her important work.
Images for kids
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Birth record of Elise Caroline Destrée (1832)
See also
In Spanish: Elisa Caroline Bommer para niños
