Billie June McCaskill | |
---|---|
Born | Altadena, California, United States | June 2, 1930
Died | May 9, 2001 California, United States | (aged 70)
Resting place | San Gabriel Cemetery, California, United States. [1] |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Botany. |
Billie June McCaskill, [2] better known as June McCaskill (June 2, 1930 – May 9, 2001), was an American herbarium curator at the University of California, Davis and expert in weed identification. [3] [4]
McCaskill was born in Altadena, in California. [3] She grew up in Pasadena where her family operated a nursery called McCaskill Gardens. [5]
She attended Mills College in 1949, and graduated with a degree in botany in 1951. [3] [5] She started her career at University of California, Davis in 1953, becoming the first curator of the Botany Department's Herbarium, a position that she held until her retirement. [6] McCaskill specialised in the identification of weeds, and was particularly focused on agricultural weeds that were toxic to livestock. [5] Her botanical skills were also used to investigate multiple homicides. [6] [5] [7] She retired in 1991.
The June McCaskill Plant Identification Laboratory of the University of California, Davis's Center for Plant Diversity herbaria opened in 2005. [8] It was named in her honour. [6] [9]
The following cultivar was named in her honour by her father:
Her collections of Californian weeds are held in various North American herbaria, including the University of California, Davis Herbarium, and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada National Collection of Vascular Plants. [2] In Australasia, her specimens are held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Herbarium, the Allan Herbarium, and the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. [11]
Billie June McCaskill | |
---|---|
Born | Altadena, California, United States | June 2, 1930
Died | May 9, 2001 California, United States | (aged 70)
Resting place | San Gabriel Cemetery, California, United States. [1] |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Botany. |
Billie June McCaskill, [2] better known as June McCaskill (June 2, 1930 – May 9, 2001), was an American herbarium curator at the University of California, Davis and expert in weed identification. [3] [4]
McCaskill was born in Altadena, in California. [3] She grew up in Pasadena where her family operated a nursery called McCaskill Gardens. [5]
She attended Mills College in 1949, and graduated with a degree in botany in 1951. [3] [5] She started her career at University of California, Davis in 1953, becoming the first curator of the Botany Department's Herbarium, a position that she held until her retirement. [6] McCaskill specialised in the identification of weeds, and was particularly focused on agricultural weeds that were toxic to livestock. [5] Her botanical skills were also used to investigate multiple homicides. [6] [5] [7] She retired in 1991.
The June McCaskill Plant Identification Laboratory of the University of California, Davis's Center for Plant Diversity herbaria opened in 2005. [8] It was named in her honour. [6] [9]
The following cultivar was named in her honour by her father:
Her collections of Californian weeds are held in various North American herbaria, including the University of California, Davis Herbarium, and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada National Collection of Vascular Plants. [2] In Australasia, her specimens are held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Herbarium, the Allan Herbarium, and the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. [11]