Agnes Chase: The Fearless Botanist Who Mastered the World of Grasses

Agnes Chase with specimens

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 29, 1869 On this day, the remarkable Agnes Chase was born—an American botanist who would devote her life to grasses. Petite and self-taught, she began as an illustrator at the USDA’s Bureau…

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Agnes Chase: The Fearless Grass Botanist Who Held the Earth Together

Mary Agnes Chase (1869-1963), a prominent American botanist and suffragist.

The Grass Studier April 29, 1869   Today is the birthday of a botanist who was a petite, fearless, and indefatigable person: Agnes Chase. Agnes was an agrostologist—a studier of grass. A self-taught botanist, her first position was as an illustrator at the USDA’s Bureau of Plant Industry in Washington, D.C. In this position, Agnes…

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The Grass Man of Botany: Albert Spear Hitchcock and the Frailejones

Albert Spear Hitchcock, a prominent American botanist and agrostologist (a specialist in grasses).

The Manuel of Grasses December 16, 1935  Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist and agrostologist Albert Spear Hitchcock. During a trip to Ecuador, Albert took a marvelous photo of an Espeletia with the common name Frailejones (“Fray-lay-HOE-ness”) or Big Monks. These large plants are in the sunflower family, and they are…

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Agnes Chase: The Grass Ceiling Breaker

Agnes Chase with specimens

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 29, 1869 On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of botanical trailblazers, we celebrate the birth of Agnes Chase, a petite powerhouse who would go on to become one of the…

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