USDA botanist Archives

James A Duke: Renowned Botanist and Author of The Green Pharmacy.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 4, 1929 Dearest reader, On this day, the garden of botanical knowledge welcomed James A. Duke, a man whose lifelong passion for plants transformed how we understand their healing powers. An American…

Erwin Frink Smith: Father of Phytobacteriology and Advocate for Women in Botany

Erwin Frink Smith (1854-1927), a prominent American plant pathologist who served as the Chief of Plant Pathology in the Bureau of Plant Industry, (USDA) for nearly four decades (1889-1927). The "father of bacterial plant pathology," he proved that bacteria can cause plant diseases. He was also known for his support of women in science, hiring and promoting female botanists as his assistants at the Bureau of Plant Industry. He loved his wife dearly.

Peach Yellows January 21, 1854 Today is the birthday of the Washington DC-based USDA botanist Erwin Frink Smith. Erwin had attempted to solve the problem of the peach yellows – a disease caused by a microorganism called a phytoplasma, and it was affecting Peach Orchards. It was called the Peach Yellows disease because the main…

Elizabeth Coleman White: The Queen of Blueberries and Pioneer of Cultivated Berries

The Blueberry Dreamer November 11, 1954 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Queen of Blueberries, Elizabeth Coleman White. Elizabeth grew up on her dad’s Cranberry Farm in the Pine Barrens of Burlington County, New Jersey. When she was a little girl, Elizabeth would take walks to wild blueberries – you couldn’t buy…

Cornelius Herman (“Neil”) Muller: Pioneer of Allelopathy and Leading Botanist

Allelopathy Pioneer Today is the birthday of Cornelius Herman (“Neil”) Muller, the American botanist and ecologist. Cornelius pioneered the study of allelopathy (“ah-la-LOP-OH-thee”). Allelopathy occurs when one plant species releases chemical compounds that affect another plant species. Most gardeners know that black walnut is an example of allelopathy. In addition to the roots, black walnut…

A Life Among Flowering Treasures: Remembering Paul George Russell

Paul George Russell, a notable consulting botanist known for his work with the USDA.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1889 Today marks the birthday of Paul George Russell, a botanical luminary born in the modest environs of Liverpool, New York. One might say he blossomed rather spectacularly from such ordinary…