Mildred Esther Mathias facts for kids

Mildred Esther Mathias (born September 19, 1906 – died February 16, 1995) was a famous American botanist and professor.

She taught at UCLA from 1962 to 1974. Mildred also led important groups like the American Society for Plant Taxonomists and the Botanical Society of America.

Early Life and Education

Mildred Mathias was born in Sappington, Missouri, on September 19, 1906.

When she started college in the 1920s, Mildred first planned to study math. But she soon changed her mind and decided to study botany instead. She earned her bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees from Washington University in St. Louis by the age of 22.

In August 1930, she married Gerald Hassler, who had a PhD in Physics. From 1932 to 1936, Mildred worked as a research assistant at the New York Botanical Garden. By 1937, she was at Berkeley studying carrots. Her family moved to southern California in 1944.

Amazing Plant Discoveries

Mildred Mathias traveled the world to study and classify plants. She explored places from Southeast Asia to Australia, and from South-Central Africa to the Amazon rainforest. She also studied plants in the western United States. Her trips helped make "ecotourism" popular, which is travel that helps people learn about nature.

She discovered over 100 types of plants in the Umbelliferae family, which includes carrots. In 1954, a plant genus from Mexico, Mathiasella, was named in her honor. Even after she retired in 1974, she continued to travel. She led 53 trips to more than 30 countries, starting with Costa Rica. Mildred published over 200 articles and books about her amazing findings.

Sharing Knowledge with Everyone

Mildred believed it was important to teach the public about plants. She directed the UCLA botanical garden, which was later renamed the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden in her honor. She also hosted a weekly TV show on NBC called "The Wonderful World of Ornamentals." On the show, she shared gardening tips with co-host Dr. William Stewart.

Mildred helped create the University of California Natural Reserve System. This system protects natural areas in California for university teaching and research. She also worked to protect nature in Costa Rica. She helped start the Organization for Tropical Studies, which works to preserve lands there.

Awards and Honors

Mildred Mathias received many awards for her important work:

• California Conservation Council Merit Award, 1962
• UCLA Medical Auxiliary Woman of Science Award, 1963
• Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year, 1964
• Nature Conservancy National Award, 1964
• Merit Award from the Botanical Society of America, 1973
• Award of Merit by the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, 1976
• Liberty Hyde Bailey Medal from the American Horticulture Society, 1980
• Medal of Honor from the Garden Club of America for her research and education in horticulture, 1982
• Honorary Fellow of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, 1986
• Charles Lawrence Hutchinson Medal from the Chicago Horticultural Society, 1988
• Honorary Trustee of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 1989
• UCLA Emeritus Professor of the Year, 1990
• Distinguished Economic Botanist by the Society of Economic Botany, 1993

Leading the Way

Mildred Mathias held many important leadership roles:

• At UCLA: She became a botanist in 1947 and a plant taxonomy lecturer in 1951. She was an Assistant Professor in the Botany Department and Vice Chair in 1955. She became the Director of the UCLA Botanical Garden in 1956.
• She helped create the UC Natural Land and Water Reserves System in the 1960s.
• She was the first female President of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists in 1964.
• She served as President of the Organization for Tropical Studies from 1969 to 1970.
• From 1977 to 1981, she was the first executive director of the Association of American Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. She created a special training program for gardening experts. This program connected universities with hands-on training at many gardens.
• She was President of the Botanical Society of America in 1984.

Her Writings

Mildred Mathias wrote many scientific articles and books. Her writings often focused on the Umbelliferae plant family. She shared her discoveries and research findings with other scientists and the public.

• Mathias, Mildred E. "Studies on the Umbelliferae. I." in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press (1928) 15: 91-108.
• Mathias, Mildred E. "Studies on the Umbelliferae. II." in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press (1929) 16: 393- 398.
• Mathias, Mildred E. "Studies on the Umbelliferae. III." A Monograph of Cymopterus Including A Critical Study of Related Genera" in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press (1930). 17: 213- 476.
• Mathias, Mildred E. "Studies on the Umbelliferae. IV." in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press (1932). 19: 497- 498.
• Hinton, George B.; Mathias, Mildred E.; Constance, Lincoln "Herbarium of George B. Hinton, Umbelliferae" in Plant Lists, Mexico. (1931- 1941).
• Mathias, Mildred E. "A Revision of the Genus Lomatium" in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press (1938). 25: 225-297.
• Mathias, Mildred E. and Constance, Lincoln "A SYNOPSIS OF THE AMERICAN SPECIES OF CICUTA" in: Madroño: a West American journal of botany. Berkeley, California Botanical Society (1942). 6: 145- 151.
• Mathias, Mildred E. and Constance, Lincoln "A NEW SPECIES OF TAUSCHIA FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON" in Madroño: a West American journal of botany. Berkeley, California Botanical Society (1943). 7: 65- 67.
• Raven, Peter H. and Mathias, Mildred E. "SANICULA DESERTICOLA, AN ENDEMIC OF BAJA CALIFORNIA" in: Madroño: a West American journal of botany. Berkeley, California Botanical Society (1960). 15: 193- 197.
• Mathias, Mildred E. "Distribution Patterns of Certain Umbelliferae" in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press (1965). 52: 387-398.
• Mathias, Mildred E.; Constance, Lincoln; Theobald, William L "TWO NEW SPECIES OF UMBELLIFERAE FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES" in: Madroño: a West American journal of botany. Berkeley, California Botanical Society (1969). 20: 214- 219.
• Mathias, Mildred E. and Constance, Lincoln "NEW AND RECONSIDERED MEXICAN UMBELLIFERAE" in: Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium. Ann Arbor :University Herbarium, University of Michigan (1977). 24: 78-83.
• Mathias, Mildred E. and Constance, Lincoln "A NEW SPECIES OF OREOMYRRHS (UMBELLIFERAE, APIACEAE) FROM NEW GUINEA)" in: Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Cambridge, Mass (1977). 58: 190-192.
• Mathias, Mildred E. "Color for the Landscape: Flowering Plants for Subtropical Climates." (1976).
• Mathias, Mildred E. "Flowering Plants in the Landscape." University of California Press. (1985).

See also

In Spanish: Mildred Ester Mathias para niños