Elizabeth Eaton Morse (31 December 1864 – 13 November 1955) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as w ...

. Born in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...

, she graduated from Ashland, Massachusetts, High School in 1882. For seven years she taught in elementary school before entering

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial ...

, from which she graduated with a

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

from the School of Art in 1891. After twenty years of teaching in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

schools Morris High School and Roosevelt High School, she returned to Wellesley College in 1924 and earned a degree in

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

in 1926. Shortly after, she registered as a part-time graduate student in the Department of Botany at the University of California, and was given storage and work space to pursue her interests in

cryptogam A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

ic botany. Although she did not work towards an advanced degree, Morse maintained this space for her studies for more than twenty years. During this time, she organized the California Mycological Society as a means to promote the collection and exchange of mycological specimens. She often spent summers on collecting trips throughout North America, and between trips identified, catalogued and distributed her collections. Although primarily interested in macroscopic fungi, she also collected some flowering plants, slime molds, lichens, and mosses. The bulk of her collections now resides at either the University Herbarium at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

, or in the U.S. National Fungus Collections at

Beltsville, Maryland Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporate ...

. Morse died 13 November 1955 in Berkeley, California. Fungal taxa named by Morse include '' Albatrellus flettii'', '' Calbovista'', '' Cantharellus bonarii'', '' Cantharellus wilkinsiae'', and '' Tricholoma sclerotoideum''.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morse, Elizabeth Eaton American mycologists Mycologists Women mycologists 1864 births 1955 deaths People from Framingham, Massachusetts Wellesley College alumni American women scientists

Publications

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References