Sara Plummer Lemmon facts for kids
Sara Allen Plummer (born September 3, 1836 – died January 15, 1923) was an American botanist. She was married to another famous botanist, John Gill Lemmon. A mountain in Arizona, Mount Lemmon, is named after her. This is because she was the first known non-native woman to climb it.
Sara Plummer Lemmon also helped make the golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica) the official state flower of California in 1903. Many plants are named in her honor, including a group of plants called Plummera.
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Early Life and Education
Sara Plummer was born in New Gloucester, Maine on September 3, 1836. She went to college at the Oread Institute in Massachusetts. After college, she moved to New York City. There, she taught art and studied at Cooper Union. She also worked as a nurse for a year or two during the American Civil War.
Moving to California
In 1869, Sara became sick and moved to California. She had heard that the warm weather there could help her health. When she arrived in Santa Barbara, California, she was seen as one of the first "intellectuals" to live there.
In 1871, she started a lending library. This library became an important place for culture in Santa Barbara. She called it the "Lending Library and Stationery Depot." People could pay a small fee to borrow books. The library also sold art and music supplies and held cultural events like lectures and art shows.
Discovering Botany
While living in Santa Barbara, Sara became very interested in botany, which is the study of plants. She started using her art skills to draw plants. These drawings are called botanical illustrations.
In 1876, Sara met John Gill (J.G.) Lemmon. He was also a botanist and a veteran of the Civil War. They started writing letters to each other, and John taught her more about plants. Sara even sent him a shrub she found near Santa Barbara. A friend of John's later named this plant Baccharis plummerae in her honor.
In 1880, Sara and John got married. After their wedding, Sara sold her library. She and John then began traveling to find and study new plants.
Climbing Mount Lemmon
For their honeymoon, Sara and John went to the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. Sara suggested they climb the tallest peak. With help from a guide, they successfully reached the top. They named the mountain Mount Lemmon in Sara's honor. It is one of the few mountains named after a woman. During their trip, the Lemmons faced challenges but discovered many new plant species unique to the mountain.
Later Work and Achievements
After their trip, Sara and John continued their work with plants. They created the Lemmon Herbarium at their home. A herbarium is a collection of dried plants used for scientific study. They later gave this collection to UC Berkeley.
Sara continued her botanical illustrations. She was even the official artist for the California State Board of Forestry from 1888 to 1892. She became well-known across the country for her artwork. In 1882, she discovered a new group of plants called Plummera floribunda.
In 1893, Sara gave a speech about protecting forests at a big event in Chicago called the World's Columbian Exposition. During the 1890s, she also worked hard to make the golden poppy the state flower of California. She even wrote the bill that the California Legislature passed, making it official in 1903.
Death
Sara's husband, J.G. Lemmon, died in 1908. Sara Plummer Lemmon passed away in California in 1923. They are both buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. A poppy flower is carved on her gravestone.
