Pioneer in Plant Science: Effie Southworth
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
October 29, 1830
On this day, plant science pioneer Effie Almira Southworth [pronounced: EF-ee al-MY-rah SOUTH-worth], is born in North Collins, New York.
Her story illuminates both the challenges and triumphs of women in early American botanical science.
The landscape for women in botany during the late 19th century was complicated.
While it wasn't unusual for women to take an interest in botany, their roles were often limited to drawing and painting specimens or mounting samples.
As one historical account notes,
Women pursued botanical collecting and filled college classrooms, although these interests rarely translated into a career in science. Many of these women were hobbyists and not paid professionally for their work.
The resistance to women in scientific roles is perfectly captured in a 1909 letter from botanist G.P. Clinton to William Farlow at Harvard University:
One thing that impressed me was that Botany is getting effeminate again.
Leastwise, there were more than the usual numbers of women botanists present. T
hese seem to come chiefly from the Division of Vegetable Pathology in Washington. They apparently make cultures and cut sections chiefly.
It wasn't bad when Flora Patterson was the only one, but now they have spread out into a dozen or more!
Yet Effie Southworth shattered expectations.
In 1887, she became the first woman researcher hired at the USDA, as noted by Beverley T. Galloway:
Miss Southworth was appointed assistant on the first of November last. This is I believe the first time in the history of the department that a woman has been appointed to such a position.
Effie's scientific contributions included the first description of cotton anthracnose and the identification of a fungal plant pathogen named Colletotrichum gossypii [pronounced: koh-let-ih-TRIK-um gos-SIP-ee-eye].
Effie collected and preserved 73 specimens that still reside in the USDA's National Fungus Collections today.
Even marriage couldn't dim her scientific pursuits, though it did alter their course. When Barnard College's policy against employing married women forced her resignation in 1895, Effie simply redirected her expertise.
She went on to study Saguaro cacti at the Desert Botanical Laboratory, earned her master's degree at age 62, and continued adding to the University of Southern California's herbarium until just months before her passing at 87.
As we tend our gardens today, let's remember Effie Southworth's pioneering spirit.
In an era when women were expected to be botanical hobbyists at best, she became a distinguished scientist.
Her legacy reminds us that determination and passion can flourish even in the most challenging conditions, like the most resilient plants in our gardens.