Ilma Grace Stone facts for kids

Ilma Grace Stone (born in 1913, died in 2001) was an Australian botanist. She was an expert in bryology, which is the study of mosses and similar plants. Ilma Stone wrote books, collected plant samples, and researched Australian mosses. She also taught about them at a university.

Ilma Stone's Science Career

Ilma Stone studied botany at the University of Melbourne from 1930 to 1934. She earned her Master of Science (MSc) degree. Her research then was about fungi that made garden plants sick.

She started studying bryophytes (mosses and related plants) in 1957. She became a demonstrator (like a teaching assistant) in the Botany Department at the University of Melbourne. She worked part-time at first, then full-time. In 1963, she earned her PhD for her study on the life cycle of some cryptograms (plants that reproduce using spores, like mosses and ferns).

Ilma Stone officially retired from the university in 1978. However, she continued her research and published new findings until she passed away in 2001. When she was 76, the University of Melbourne gave her a special Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree. She was also an Honorary Research Fellow there.

Studying Mosses in Australia

Ilma Stone was first interested in ferns. But from 1969, she focused mainly on mosses. In 1983, she described a new type of moss called Fissidens gymnocarpus. She kept adding to our knowledge of how mosses are classified.

She was known for being very observant and paying close attention to tiny moss species that others might miss. She also made great contributions to how mosses are grouped and named. Ilma Stone was also an amazing field bryologist, meaning she was excellent at finding and studying mosses in their natural homes. She is given credit for greatly increasing what we know about mosses in Australia, especially those found in Queensland.

Moss Species She Studied

Ilma Stone was especially skilled in studying certain types of mosses. These included Acaulon, Pleuridium, Eccremidium, Astomum, and Nanobryum. She also knew a lot about the mosses in Victoria and Queensland, and the tropical mosses of Australia. She also studied mosses that have a permanent protonema (an early stage of moss growth).

Her work on the Australian Fissidens mosses, which she did with David Catcheside, greatly improved how these mosses are classified.

Awards and Recognition

In 1989, the University of Melbourne awarded Ilma Stone a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree. She was an Honorary Research Fellow at the university at that time.

In 1982, she was chosen as an Honorary Member of the British Bryological Society. This is a special honor given to top experts in bryology.

Several moss species have been named after her to honor her important work. These include two groups (genera) of mosses and two specific species:

• Stonea oleaginosa
• Stoneobryum bunyaense
• Stoneobryum mirum
• Macromitrium stoneae
• Syrrhopodon stoneae

Early Life and Family

Ilma Grace Stone was born in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, in 1913. She went to Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School because she received a scholarship. She was very good at English and Botany.

After getting her Master's degree from the University of Melbourne, she chose to get married instead of continuing her studies at the University of Cambridge in the UK. She was married to Alan Stone, and they had three children. For the first 20 years of her marriage, her family was her main focus, before she fully returned to her science career.

See also

In Spanish: Ilma Grace Stone para niños