Janet Russell Perkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janet Russell Perkins
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| Born | March 20, 1853 Lafayette, Indiana
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| Died | 1933 Hinsdale, Illinois
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| Education | Ph.D. |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin Heidelberg University |
| Occupation | Botanist, teacher |
| Parent(s) | Cyrus Grovenor Perkins Jane Rose Houghteling |
Janet Russell Perkins (born March 20, 1853 – died 1933) was an amazing American scientist who studied plants. She was a botanist, which means she was an expert in plant life. Janet Perkins discovered and named 191 different types of land plants. This was a huge achievement, making her one of the top female scientists in history for naming new species!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Janet Russell Perkins was born in Lafayette, Indiana. Her parents were Cyrus Grovenor Perkins and Jane Rose Houghteling. Janet went to private schools when she was young.
College and Early Travels
After her early schooling, Janet attended the University of Wisconsin. She earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in 1872. After graduating, she traveled to Europe. She worked as a private tutor in Hildesheim, Germany. She also spent time in Paris, France, where she studied languages and music.
Teaching Career
In 1875, Janet returned to the United States. She became a teacher in Chicago, Illinois. She taught there for the next twenty years. During this time, she also took breaks to travel. She visited interesting places like the Azores, California, and Hawaii.
Becoming a Botanist
In 1895, Janet Perkins decided to go back to Germany. This time, her goal was to study botany, the science of plants.
Studying in Germany
She spent eight semesters, which is like four years, studying in Berlin. She learned from famous botanists like Adolf Engler. After her studies in Berlin, she moved to Heidelberg University. There, she earned her Ph.D. in 1900. Her special research project was a detailed study of a group of flowering plants called Mollinedia.
Working at the Royal Botanic Museum
After getting her Ph.D., Janet went back to Berlin. She joined the team at the Royal Botanic Museum. Today, this museum is known as the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum.
Discoveries and Research
Janet Perkins published many important papers about tropical plants. Her work helped scientists learn more about plants from warm, humid parts of the world.
Work in Puerto Rico
From 1901 to 1902, she worked as a scientific helper for the United States Department of Agriculture in Berlin. She was busy revising, or updating, information about the Leguminosae family of plants in Puerto Rico. This family includes beans and peas. She spent time in Puerto Rico studying different types of legumes.
Discovering New Plant Varieties
Janet found many types of Phaseolus vulgaris, which are common string beans. She noted that only some of these were being grown by people. She also observed the Vigna unguiculata, or cowpea. This bean was brought from Africa and was being grown near Yabucoa and Mayagüez.
Plant Collecting in Jamaica
Later, from 1914 to 1917, Janet Perkins spent time in Jamaica. She collected many different plants there. These plants were then given to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in England, which is a very famous botanical garden.
See also
In Spanish: Janet Russell Perkins para niños
