Margaret Levyns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Levyns
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Montagu, Cape Province, 1922
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| Born | 24 August 1890 |
| Died | 11 November 1975 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge University of Cape Town |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | phytogeographer, botanist and taxonomist |
| Institutions | University of Cape Town |
| Thesis | A taxonomic study of Lobostemon and Echiostachys' |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Levyns |
Margaret Rutherford Bryan Levyns (born Michell) was a famous South African scientist. She was born in Cape Town on August 24, 1890, and passed away there on November 11, 1975.
Margaret was a botanist, which means she studied plants. She was also a phytogeographer, studying where different plants grow around the world. Plus, she was a taxonomist, meaning she helped classify and name plants.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Margaret Levyns first learned at home from her mother. Later, she went to Ellerslie Girls' School. She did very well in her final exams and won two scholarships.
In 1908, she started studying at the South African College. She planned to focus on math, geology, and chemistry. She wanted to study botany for her final year. However, Professor Harold Pearson convinced her to make botany her main subject.
Studying at Cambridge
Margaret won two more scholarships: the Queen Victoria Scholarship and the 1851 Exhibition Memorial Scholarship. These allowed her to study at Newnham College, Cambridge from 1912 to 1914.
After her time in Cambridge, she returned to South Africa. She then received another scholarship to the John Innes Centre. There, she chose to study genetics, which is the study of how traits are passed down in living things.
Becoming a Doctor of Science
When she came back to South Africa for the second time, she became a lecturer. She taught in the Botany Department at the South African College. This college later became the University of Cape Town.
Margaret Levyns made history there. She was the first woman to earn a D.Sc. degree from the University of Cape Town. She received this high honor in 1932. Her special research for this degree was about two plant groups, Lobostemon and Echiostachys.
Important Books and Research
Margaret also wrote important books about plants. In 1929, she published A Guide to the Flora of the Cape Peninsula. She also wrote big parts of another book, Flora of the Cape Peninsula, in 1950. This book was written with Adamson and Salter.
After she retired in 1945, she kept working on plants. She wrote many papers about plant classification and where plants grow. She also updated the classification of several plant groups from South Africa, like Muraltia.
Personal Life
In 1923, Margaret married John Levyns. He later became the Assistant Provincial Secretary of the Cape Province. He also served on the council of the Botanical Society of South Africa.
Legacy and Recognition
Margaret Levyns is remembered in the names of several plants. These include Thamnochortus levynsiae, Nivenia levynsiae, and Crassula levynsiae. This shows how important her work was.
She collected about 12,000 plant samples during her career. These samples are kept in important plant collections. Some are at the Bolus Herbarium in Cape Town. Others are at the National Herbarium in Pretoria. Many are also at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in England and other places.
When scientists talk about plants she named, they use the short form Levyns after the plant's scientific name.
Honours and Awards
Margaret Levyns received many awards for her important work:
- She was President of Section B of the South African Association for Advancement of Science in 1952 and 1953.
- She received the South African Medal in 1958.
- She was President of the Royal Society of South Africa in 1962 and 1963. She was the first woman ever to hold this important position.
See Also
In Spanish: Margaret Rutherford Bryan Levyns para niños
