california botany Archives

Archibald Menzies’ Santa Barbara Sojourn: A Botanical Milestone

The image is a portrait of Archibald Menzies, a notable Scottish surgeon, botanist, and naturalist. He is credited with introducing the monkey puzzle tree to England and was the first recorded European to reach the summit of Mauna Loa in Hawaii.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1793 On this day, Archibald Menzies (MEN-zeez), the Scottish surgeon-botanist, reluctantly departed Santa Barbara aboard the HMS Discovery during Vancouver’s expedition. Menzies had spent several productive days exploring the Santa Barbara…

California’s Botany Man: Willis Linn Jepson and the Birth of the California Botanical Society

Willis Linn Jepson, a prominent late-19th and20th-century California botanist, professor, conservationist, and writer. He is recognized as a co-founder of the Sierra Club in 1892.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 12, 1913 Dearest reader, On this day, the ever-curious and indefatigable Botany Man, Willis Linn Jepson, gathered some twenty souls in a modest room at the Oakland Public Museum. The air must…

Kate Brandegee: Pioneer Botanist, Mentor, and Guardian of California’s Flora

Mary Katharine Brandegee (1844-1920), a pioneering American botanist.

A Passion for Botany Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Kate Brandegee. Kate was the third woman to enroll at Berkely’s medical school and the second woman to be professionally employed as a botanist in the US. After getting her MD at Berkley, she found starting a practice too daunting. Thankfully,…

Katherine Brandagee: Trailblazing Botanist and Mentor of California Flora

The Second Female Botanist Today is the 175th birthday of the botanist Katherine Brandagee who was born on this day in 1844. Brandagee was the third woman to enroll at Berkeley’s medical school and the second woman to be professionally employed as a botanist in the US. While getting her MD at Berkeley, Kate had…

LeRoy Abrams: The Tireless California Botanist and Father of Pacific Flora

The California Plant Collector Today is the birthday of California plant collector, LeRoy Abrams, who was born on this day in 1874. Abrams was born in Sheffield, Iowa. He moved west with his parents as a small boy. As a graduate student, Abrams performed yeoman’s work botanizing the area around Los Angeles. A biographical sketch…

Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon: Botanical Pioneer and Advocate for California’s State Flower

Sara Plummer Lemmon, a pioneering American botanist, artist, and advocate.

The Life of The Lemmons Today is the birthday of the botanist Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon, who was born on this day in 1836. Lemmon is remembered for her successful 1903 piece of legislation that nominated the golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica) as the state flower of California. Asa Gray named the genus Plummera in honor…

Willis Linn Jepson and the Bloom of a Society

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 12, 1913 On this day, dear readers, within the hushed yet hopeful walls of the Oakland Public Museum, a man of singular vision-Willis Linn Jepson, the Botany Man-summoned a small company to…