Mary Strong Clemens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Strong Clemens
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_with_Joseph_Clemens_(1862-1936).jpg)
Joseph and Mary Clemens.
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| Born | 3 January 1873 New York, NY, United States
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| Died | 13 April 1965 (aged 92) Brisbane Australia
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botanist; Plant collector |
| Institutions | Queensland Herbarium and collecting expeditions in Asia, New Guinea, Australia. |
Mary Strong Clemens (born January 3, 1873 – died April 13, 1968) was an American botanist and plant collector. She loved collecting plants and did so throughout her long life. She traveled to faraway places like the Philippines, Borneo, China, New Guinea, and Australia. She spent the last part of her life in Australia, where she passed away in Brisbane, Queensland.
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Life of a Plant Explorer
Mary Knapp Strong was born in New York. In 1896, she married Joseph Clemens, a minister. Joseph joined the United States Army in 1902 as a chaplain. He served in the Philippines, America, and France during World War I. He retired from the army in 1918.
Adventures in the Philippines
From 1905 to 1907, while her husband was in the Philippines, Mary traveled widely. She explored Luzon and Mindanao islands. After Joseph retired, he became her helper. They worked together as full-time plant collectors. Mary usually gathered the plants. Joseph then dried them and got them ready to be sent away.
Collecting Plants Around the World
Between the First and Second World Wars, the Clemenses visited many places. They went to Hebei and Shandong provinces in China. They also explored Indo-China, British North Borneo, Sarawak, Java, and Singapore.
Their trips to Mount Kinabalu in northern Borneo were very special. They visited in 1915 and again from 1931 to 1934. They collected more plants from that mountain than anyone else had before.
Life in New Guinea and Australia
In August 1935, Mary and Joseph went to the Territory of New Guinea. Sadly, Joseph Clemens became very ill and passed away in January 1936. Mary Clemens continued her work in New Guinea. She stayed there until December 1941. She had to leave and go to Australia because of the coming war.
In Australia, she was given a space at the Queensland Herbarium in Brisbane. It was a shed behind the main building. She used this as her base to keep collecting plants. Even though it was meant to be a temporary spot, she stayed there for the next 20 years.
Mary lived in a hostel about 5 kilometers away. She would walk to the herbarium early each morning. Sometimes, she would even cook meals and sleep in her shed overnight. This was despite being told not to.
Faith and Later Years
Mary had strong religious beliefs. She often wrote Bible quotes in her field journal. She also sang hymns frequently, which sometimes bothered her neighbors. She even paid for her trips by giving scripture lessons and singing hymns.
Later in her life, Mary focused on collecting plants only in Queensland, Australia. She made trips to Charleville (1945), Jericho (1946), Mackay (1947), Maryborough (1948), and to Ingham and Tully (1949).
In 1950, she broke her hip, which stopped her from taking long trips. But she kept working at the Queensland Herbarium until the early 1960s. Mary Clemens passed away peacefully on April 13, 1968, at 95 years old.
Legacy: Plants Named After Mary
Many plants are named after Mary Strong Clemens to honor her work. Here are some examples:
- Saurauia clementis Merr.
- Pseuduvaria clemensiae Y.C.F.Su & R.M.K.Saunders
See also
In Spanish: Mary Strong Clemens para niños
