Vera Katherine Charles (1877–1954) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

. She was one of the first women to be appointed to professional positions within the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...

. Charles coauthored several articles on

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

s while working for the USDA.

Education

Charles graduated from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

, and received her PhD from

Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences The New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University (CALS or Ag School) is one of Cornell University, Cornell University's four Statutory college#Cornell University, statutory colleges, and is the only agricultural ...

in 1903. While in school, she primarily studied mycology, but also 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 ...

. After graduation, she began to work for the USDA, where she worked for many years in the Office of Mycological Collections and its successors.

Career and research

During her early career as a mycologist, Charles often worked with

Flora Wambaugh Patterson Flora Wambaugh Patterson (September 15, 1847–February 5, 1928) was an American mycologist, and the first female plant pathologist hired by the United States Department of Agriculture. She ran the US National Fungus Collections for almost thi ...

, the first female mycologist in the USDA. During the 1910s and 1920s, they published many coauthored papers. These papers were held in high regard by Charles' and Patterson's contemporaries. This partnership continued until Patterson's death in 1928. Charles was responsible for inspecting many imported plants prior to the

Plant Quarantine Act The Plant Quarantine Act, originally enacted in 1912 (7 U.S.C. 151 et seq.), gave the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) authority to regulate the importation and interstate movement of nursery stock and other plants that may carry ...

, enacted in 1912. Through inspecting these plants for signs of disease, Charles and her lab were the first to report and categorize potato wart disease. Charles and Patterson became primarily responsible for fungus research with the Pathological Collections after the organization of Plant Disease Survey in 1917. Charles also conducted research and publish articles on the fungal pathogens that North American insects face. Her knowledge of

agarics An agaric () is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. It is a type of mushroom (or toadstool), ...

, specifically the identification of

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from " eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

and

poisonous A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

fungi, meant that for many years she was the government expert. Her ''Some common mushrooms and how to know them'' published in 1931 and twice revised was still among the most frequently requested publications from the US Department of Agriculture in the mid-1950s. In 1931 she published ''Introduction to Mushroom Hunting''. In addition, she contributed a chapter to a 1935 book on careers for women. Her chapter was entitled "The Mycologist." Even after retiring on 30 June 1942, Charles collaborated with other mycologists. However, eventually Charles' eyesight weakened to the point that she could no longer use a microscope but she continued writing. During her career she was author or co-author of over 37 books and scientific papers, as well as assisting other mycologists with descriptions of new species.

Selected publications

*Charles VK. "Occurrence of ''Lasiodiplodia'' on ''Theobroma cacao'' and ''Mangifera indica''". ''The Journal of Mycology'', Vol. 12, No. 4 (1906), pp. 145–146 *Charles VK. "A fungus on lace bugs" ''Mycologia'', Vol. 29, No. 2 (1937), pp. 216–221 *Charles VK. "An entomogenous fungus on spider mites on water Hyacinth" ''Mycologia'', Vol. 32, No. 4 (1940), pp. 537–540 *Charles VK. "A fungous disease of codling moth larvae" ''Mycologia'', Vol. 33, No. 4 (1941), pp. 344–349 *Charles VK. "Mushroom poisoning caused by ''Lactaria glaucescens''" ''Mycologia'', Vol. 34, No. 1 (1942), pp. 112–113 *Charles VK. "Some common mushrooms and how to know them. United States Department of Agriculture, no. 143 Washington, D.C. (1946)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Vera 1877 births 1954 deaths American mycologists Women mycologists Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Mount Holyoke College alumni People from Erie, Pennsylvania American women botanists American botanists Biologists from Pennsylvania