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Helen Vandervort Smith (March 3, 1909 – August 3, 1995) was an American botanist, known for her work on wildflowers and mushrooms.
Biography
[edit]Helen Vandervort Smith was born to Orma and Ora Smith in Jamestown, Ohio, in 1909.[1][2][3] As a young child, she moved with her family to the area of Caldwell, Idaho, where she grew up.[1]
Smith obtained a bachelor's in English from the College of Idaho in 1930.[1][2] She then graduated with a master's degree from the University of Oregon in 1932, focusing her research on fossil plants from Succor Creek.[1][2] From 1932 to 1940, she studied at the University of Michigan, obtaining a doctorate in botany in 1940.[1][2] Her doctoral research focused on fossil plants in Idaho's Thorn Creek.[1][2]
As her career progressed, she went on to research wildflowers and mushrooms.[1] In 1961, she published the book Michigan Wildflowers.[1][4] Also a watercolor painter, she produced various illustrations of North American mushrooms and other flora.[1]
Smith was also active in land conservation efforts in Michigan.[1]
She married mycologist Alexander H. Smith in 1936, and the couple often collaborated professionally, including on two illustrated books about mushrooms.[1][5]
In 1995, at age 86, she died in Corvallis, Oregon, where she had moved in her later years.[1][2][3] A wildflower garden at the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens was named in Smith's honor.[1]
References
[edit]
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Helen V. Smith". Corvallis Gazette-Times. 1995-08-05. pp. A5 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Helen V. Smith". Statesman Journal. 1995-08-06. pp. 8B – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Smith, Helen Vandervort". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ↑ "Smith, Helen Vandervort, 1909-". The Online Books Page. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ↑ "Botanical Club Publishes Booklet On Mushrooms". The Ludington Daily News. 1965-04-13. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
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