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Elizabeth Eaton Morse facts for kids

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Elizabeth Eaton Morse (born December 31, 1864 – died November 13, 1955) was an American scientist who studied fungi. She was born in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Early Life and Education

Elizabeth Morse finished Ashland High School in Massachusetts in 1882. After high school, she taught in elementary school for seven years.

In 1891, she graduated from Wellesley College with a diploma from their School of Art. She then taught for twenty years in New York City schools, including Morris High School and Roosevelt High School.

A Passion for Plants and Fungi

In 1924, Elizabeth Morse returned to Wellesley College. She earned a degree in Botany (the study of plants) in 1926. Soon after, she became a part-time student at the University of California. There, she was given a special space to study cryptogamic botany. This means she focused on plants that reproduce using spores, like fungi, mosses, and ferns.

Even though she didn't work for a higher degree, Morse kept her study space for over twenty years. She used this time to learn more about fungi.

Helping Others Study Fungi

During her studies, Elizabeth Morse helped create the California Mycological Society. This group helped people collect and share different types of fungi. She often spent her summers traveling across North America to collect fungi. When she returned, she would identify, organize, and share her collections with others.

While she was mostly interested in larger fungi, she also collected flowering plants, slime molds, lichens, and mosses. Most of her collections are now kept at the University Herbarium at the University of California at Berkeley. Some are also at the U.S. National Fungus Collections in Beltsville, Maryland.

Elizabeth Morse passed away on November 13, 1955, in Berkeley, California.

Fungi Named by Elizabeth Morse

Elizabeth Morse discovered and named several types of fungi. Some of these include:

  • Albatrellus flettii
  • Calbovista
  • Cantharellus bonarii
  • Cantharellus wilkinsiae
  • Tricholoma sclerotoideum
This author is usually abbreviated Morse when citing a botanical name.
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