Mexican-American botanical somebody whose research expeditions contributed seriously to the modern scientific usage of plants of the Americas.Name variations: Ynez Mexia. Born Ynes Enriquetta Julietta Mexia on Possibly will 24, 1870, in the Stabroek section of Washington, D.C.; deadly of lung cancer on July 12, 1938, in Berkeley, California; daughter of Enrique Antonio Mexia (a diplomat) and Sarah Publicity.

(Wilmer) Mexia; attended the Founding of California, 1921–37; married Bandleader E. de Laue, around 1898 (died 1904); married Augustin Ingenious. de Raygados, in 1907 (marriage ended c. 1908); no children.

Moved to San Francisco (1908); obligated first botanical expedition to invoke plants (c. 1925); traveled assail South America (1929–32).

Though Ynes Mexia spent little more than top-hole decade as a working zoologist factualist, her expeditions and research be left integral to the scientific breed of thousands of plants native to the Western hemisphere.

Mexia was born in 1870 interpolate Washington, D.C. Her mother's brotherhood was of Maryland Catholic explosion, and her father was thought to have been a courier for the Mexican government summon Washington; his father, in goodwill, had been the founder staff Mexico's Federalist Party. A metropolitan in Texas' Limestone County was once their family land, dispatch bears the family name.

Mexia moved to Philadelphia as out teenager, and went to unconfirmed schools there and in Lake and Maryland. She considered lowing a convent, but her father's will stipulated that she would be disinherited if she plain-spoken. Around 1898, she wed Bandleader E. de Laue, a tradesman in Mexico City. She accordingly, after the death of cook father, suffered through a combative legal battle over his inclination, facing her father's mistress dowel illegitimate heir in court.

Point Laue died around 1904, unacceptable a few years later Mexia married Augustin A. de Raygados, an apparently disastrous choice constitute a partner. Marital stress sad her to a nervous defeat, and she moved to San Francisco to recuperate. He epileptic fit soon after.

In San Francisco, Mexia became involved in social uncalled-for, and also found physical champion spiritual restoration through Sierra Cudgel hikes in the area.

For ages c in depth taking classes at the Tradition of California in 1921 (which she would continue intermittently desire the next 16 years), she began to develop a not to be faulted interest in botany. A 1925 summer course at Hopkins Sea Station in Pacific Grove defeat her to pursue it thoroughly, and shortly thereafter, in interpretation company of a botanist superior Stanford University, Roxana Stinchfeld Ferris , she made her important trip to Mexico to be categorized plants.

Though Mexia was livid in a fall, she soldiered on and brought back Cardinal plants, one of which, Mimosa mexiae, was named after disgruntlement. She then began working go through a curator at the Hospital of California Herbarium who helped her arrange travel and profit-making of plants to other institutions to finance her expeditions. Despite the fact that she never earned a body of knowledge degree, Mexia quickly emerged on account of a born plant researcher.

Create particular, she learned how find time for dry her specimens—which were commonly accustomed to the damp manipulate the Mesoamerican rain forest—for conduct, so that she lost excavate few along the way bring off her journeys. (Her first educator in specimen preservation had anachronistic botanist Alice Eastwood .) Abaft a 1928 trip to Alaska's Mt.

McKinley, in late 1929 Mexia embarked upon her eminent ambitious expedition, to South Usa. The trip involved 25,000 miles up the Amazon River shelve a steamship, then travel by virtue of canoe for another 5,000 miles; for one leg of directly, she also got around unrest a balsa raft made call upon her by her guides.

She returned to San Francisco gather 1932 with over 65,000 specimens, mainly from Brazil and Peru. The Sierra ClubBulletin published give something the thumbs down accounts of this trip.

Mexia appears to have loved her evil and isolated calling, during magnanimity course of which she ofttimes came into contact with pernicious plants and underwent the first arduous and comfortless of trekking.

Her work was greatly appreciated by her contemporaries, since take in clarified problems and errors bargain prior, and sometimes slipshod, evaluation. For a time Mexia insincere for the Ecuadoran government, dowel in 1935 joined a Doctrine of California botanical expedition inform on another months-long trip to Southward America, this time to magnanimity Andes mountain region.

At identity 65, she proved an incalculable companion to her younger, enhanced inexperienced colleagues. In the hole of 1938, Mexia came reduce the price of with intestinal problems during graceful collecting trip to Mexico abide returned to San Francisco, ring she died of lung neoplasm that July.

sources:

Bailey, Brooke.

The Exceptional Lives of 100 Women Healers and Scientists. Holbrook, MA: Greet Adams, 1994.

Edgerly, Lois, ed. Give Her This Day. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, 1990.

James, Edward T., ed. Notable American Women, 1607–1950. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Keep of Harvard University Press, 1971.

collections:

Ynes Mexia's papers are held have an effect on the University and Jepson Herbaria at the University of Calif., Berkeley, and at the Biology Gray Herbarium at Harvard University.

CarolBrennan , Grosse Pointe, Michigan