Elise Caroline Bommer (calling name: Elisa), née Destrée (20 January 1832 in

Laeken (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the ...

– 17 January 1910 in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

), was a Belgian botanist specialising in

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, genetics, biochemistry, biochemical properties, and ethnomycology, use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, Edible ...

, and was the wife of

pteridologist #REDIRECTFern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having spec ...

and collector

Jean-Édouard Bommer Joseph (Jean) Édouard Bommer (16 November 1829, Brussels – 19 February 1895, Brussels) was a Belgian botanist specializing in the field of pteridology. He was the husband of mycologist Elise Caroline Destrée de Bommer (1832-1910). Despite ...

(1829–1895), who was professor of botany at University of Brussels in 1872.

Biography

Youth and marriage

In Elisa's youth her father was employed at the

Royal Castle of Laeken Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Ro ...

(the official residence of Belgian King), giving her the opportunity to explore the large grounds and park. A palace governess tutored her but when ten years old she was sent to a boarding school at nearby

Vilvoorde Vilvoorde (; ; ; historically known as ''Filford'' in English) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city in the Halle-Vilvoorde district (''arrondissement'') of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Bra ...

, where she rued her loss of freedom, but finally adjusted to the new discipline and developed her talent for music. Her music was set aside in favour of a commercial career when she was twenty years old and her health soon suffered as a result of long hours spent at unfulfilling work. Knowing of her interest in botany, her family physician introduced her to Jean-Edouard Bommer, a botanist and

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

specialist whom she married in 1863. One of their children, Charles (1866–1938), would later become a

palaeobotanist Paleobotany or palaeobotany, also known as paleophytology, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant fossils from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (pale ...

Botanical career

Despite a growing and demanding family, Elisa was drawn further into the world of botany and total described more than 200 fungal species. In 1873 she met Mariette Rousseau who had similar interests and much of their work was produced together. Jean-Edouard Bommer suggested the two friends study the local fungi, virtually untouched except for the work of

Marie-Anne Libert Marie-Anne Libert (born 7 April 1782 in Malmedy, province of Liège, died 14 January 1865 in Malmedy) was a Belgian botanist and mycologist. She was one of the first women plant pathologists. She is sometimes referred to as "Anne-Marie Libert". ...

(1782–1865),

Gérard Daniel Westendorp Gérard Daniel Westendorp (8 March 1813, The Hague – 31 January 1869, Dendermonde) was a Dutch born, Belgian military physician and botanist. He studied medicine at the ''Ecole de Médecine de Bruxelles'', later working as a student-physicia ...

(1813–1869) and Jean Kickx (1803–1864). Making use of Kickx's ''Flore cryptogamique des environs de Louvaine'' and ''Flore cryptogamique des Flandres'', and the ''Systema mycologicum'' of

Elias Magnus Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. He is sometimes called the Mycology, "Linnaeus of Mycology". In his works he described and assigned botanical names to hundreds of fungus and li ...

, they launched into an arduous and inspiring project. In this they were greatly helped by access to the library of the local ''Jardin Botanique''. A succession of monographs followed and were published in the ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique'' in 1879, 1884, 1886 and 1890. Their joint paper on

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

n fungi appeared in 1896, and dealt with material collected from 1887 by

Henri François Pittier Henri François Pittier de Fabrega (August 13, 1857 in Bex, Switzerland – January 27, 1950 in Caracas, Venezuela) was a Swiss-born geographer and botanist who started Venezuelan National Park history. Biography He graduated as an engineer f ...

. They also worked on the fungi collected by the 1897-99 Belgian expedition led by

Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99. Early years Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as t ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

, producing a report in 1905. Bommer expanded the scope of her studies by including the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and particularly

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

and environs. In her final years physical disability severely limited her activities, but never stopped her piano-playing, and embarked on
botanical painting, including fungi and flowering plants. On her death her mycological collection went to the ''Brussels Jardin Botanique'' and is currently housed at the herbarium in

Meise Meise () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Meise proper and Wolvertem (a ''deelgemeente''), and several smaller villages like Sint-Brixius-Rode, Oppem, ...

. Hundreds of plants, animals and fungi, collected by her about 1890 in and around The Hague are preserved in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden. She was commemorated in the genus ''Bommerella'' created by

Élie Marchal Élie Marchal (1 March 1839, in Wasigny – 19 February 1923, in Gembloux) was a Belgian botanist and mycologist. From 1861 to 1871, he was a middle-school teacher in the communities of Virton, Ath, Visé and Maeseyck. From 1871 to 1879 he was as ...

(1839–1923).

Selected publications

: Partial list of publications: : Bommer E, Rousseau M (1879). Catalogue des champignons observé aux environs de Bruxelles. ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique''18(3): 61–219 eprinted, TL-2 627 : Bommer E, Rousseau M (1884). Florule mycologique des environs de Bruxelles. ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique'' 23(1): 13–365 eprinted, TL-2 628 : Bommer E, Rousseau M (1886). Contributions à la flore mycologique de Belgique. ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique'' 25(1): 13–365. : Bommer E, Rousseau M (1887). Contributions à la flore mycologique de Belgique, II. ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique'' 26(1): 187–241. : Bommer E, Rousseau M (1890). Contributions à la Flore Mycologique de Belgique, III. ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique'' 29(1): 205–302. : Bommer E, Rousseau M (1896). Primitiae Florae Costaericensis par Th. Durand et H. Pittier. Troisième fasicule. Fungi. ''Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique'' 35: 151–166. : Destrée C (1891a). Première contribution au catalogue des champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 2, 5: 341–347. eries reprinted, TL-2 29.925: Destrée C (1891b). Deuxième contribution au catalogue des champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 2, 5: 625–632. : Destrée C (1895a). Troisième contribution au catalogue des champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 2, 6: 169–194. : Destrée C (1895b). Quatrième contribution au catalogue des champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 2, 6: 356–365. : Destrée C (1895c). Cinquième contribution au catalogue des champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 2, 6: 594–619. : Destrée C (1895d) Révision des ''Geaster'' observés dans les Pays-Bas. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 2, 6: 488–501. eprinted, TL-2 29.926: Destrée C (1896). Dernière contribution au catalogue des champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 3, 6: 127–138. : Destrée C (1897). Supplément au catalogue des Champignons des environs de la Haye. ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief'', ser. 3, 7: 232–239. : Bommer E & Rousseau M (1905). Champignons. Résultats Voyage du S. Y. Belgica en 1897–1898–1899 … Rapports scientifiques …. 6: 1–15, pl. 1–5. L-2 629: Destrée CE (1901). Handleiding tot het bepalen van de in Nederland groeiende hoogere Zwammen. F.E. Macdonald, Nijmegen, Netherlands. L-2 29.927

Sources

*Rousseau, M., �
Necrologie Madame J. E. Bommer, nee Elisa Destrée”
in: ''Bulletin de la Société royale de Botanique de Belgique'', 47 (1910), 256–261. *CREESE, Mary,
Ladies in the Laboratory II: West European Women in Science, 1800–1900: A Survey of Their Contributions to Research
', Maryland, 2004, 104–105.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bommer, Elisa Caroline 1832 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Belgian women scientists 19th-century Belgian botanists Belgian mycologists Belgian women botanists Belgian taxonomists Women taxonomists Women mycologists People from Laeken