Elise Caroline Bommer facts for kids
Elise Caroline Bommer (who was called Elisa) was a Belgian scientist. She was born Elise Destrée on January 20, 1832, in Laeken, Belgium. She passed away on January 17, 1910, in Brussels. Elisa was a botanist, which means she studied plants. She was especially interested in mycology, the study of fungi like mushrooms. She was married to Jean-Édouard Bommer, who was also a botanist and a professor.
Life Story of Elisa Bommer
Early Life and Marriage
When Elisa was young, her father worked at the Castle of Laeken. This was the official home of the Belgian King. Because of this, Elisa could explore the large castle grounds and park. She loved being outdoors.
She was taught at home by a governess. When she was ten, she went to a boarding school in Vilvoorde. Elisa missed her freedom at first. But she soon got used to the school rules. She also became very good at playing music.
At age twenty, Elisa started working in business. This meant she had to stop playing music. The long hours and boring work made her health suffer. Her family doctor knew she loved botany. So, he introduced her to Jean-Édouard Bommer. He was a botanist who studied ferns. Elisa married Jean-Édouard in 1863. One of their children, Charles, later became a scientist who studied ancient plants.
Her Work as a Botanist
Even with a growing family, Elisa became more involved in botany. She ended up describing over 200 types of fungi. In 1873, she met Marietta Hannon Rousseau. Mariette also loved studying plants. They became good friends and worked together on many projects.
Elisa's husband, Jean-Édouard, suggested they study local fungi. Not many people had studied fungi in their area before. They used books by other botanists to help them. These books included works by Jean Kickx and Elias Magnus Fries. Elisa and Mariette started a big and exciting project. They were very lucky to have access to a large library at the local Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden).
They published many important papers together. These papers appeared in a science journal between 1879 and 1890. They also wrote about fungi from Costa Rica in 1896. These fungi had been collected by Henri François Pittier. Later, they studied fungi from Antarctica. These were collected during a Belgian trip led by Adrien de Gerlache in 1897-1899. Their report on these fungi came out in 1905. Elisa also studied fungi in the Netherlands, especially around The Hague.
In her last years, Elisa had physical problems. This made it hard for her to move around. But she never stopped playing the piano. She also started painting plants, including fungi and flowers. When she passed away, her collection of fungi went to the Brussels Jardin Botanique. Today, it is kept at the herbarium in Meise. Hundreds of plants, animals, and fungi she collected are also at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden.
A genus (a group of related species) of fungi was named Bommerella after her. This was done by Élie Marchal to honor her work.
See also
In Spanish: Elisa Caroline Bommer para niños
