Frederica "Freda" Detmers (January 16, 1867—September 5, 1934) was an American

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

Life and education

Detmers was born in Dixon,

Lee County, Illinois Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,145. Its county seat is Dixon. The Dixon, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lee County. History The area's ...

, on January 16, 1867, to Henry Detmers and Heimke. Her father was the founder of the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Veterinary College. She studied at the University, graduating in 1887 with a B.S. She returned to graduate with an M.S. in 1891. She suffered from a head injury after a fall in the mountains collecting plants in 1930. She committed suicide on September 5, 1934, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

by consuming poison.

Career

Detmers was the first woman to hold a research position in Ohio for the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, holding it from 1880 to 1892. From 1893 to 1906, she taught science and German in Columbus schools, returning to OSU in 1906. Her 1912 dissertation was a study of Buckeye Lake's ecology. In 1914, she became assistant professor. In 1918, she rejoined the experiment station as assistant botanist, moving on to

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the science, scientific study of naming, defining (Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxon, taxa (si ...

and systematist. Her research focused on

plant pathology Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

problems and weed

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

and control. She was a charter member of the Ohio Academy of Science, where in 1918, she served as vice president. Detmers moved to Los Angeles in 1927, becoming a curator of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

herbarium.

Partial bibliography

* Detmers, Frederica. ''An Ecological Study of Buckeye Lake''. Columbus, Ohio: 1912.

References

1867 births 1934 deaths Ohio State University alumni American women botanists American botanists Ohio State University faculty American women academics 1934 suicides Suicides by poison Suicides in California {{US-botanist-stub