Caroline Priscilla Bingham (née Lord, 1831–1932) was an American
botanist who was one of the earliest American women to publish scientific papers on botany. She was an influential collector of botanical specimens discovering a new
genus and several new
species. As a result of her discoveries Bingham had a genus and several
algae species named in her honor.[1]
Biography
Early life and marriage
Bingham was born in 1831 in
Pennsylvania. She and her family shifted to
Ohio around 1836. She married her husband, Richard Fitch Bingham in Ohio and subsequently the couple moved to
California in 1873. At around this time she took up the study of botany.[2]
Botany work
Bingham was one of the earliest American women to publish a scientific paper on botany. She is one of only six American women listed in the London Royal Society Catalogue of Science Papers 1800 - 1900 whose journal articles predate 1880.[3] Her first known article was published in the
Botanical Gazette in 1879.[4]
Bingham was a member of the Santa Barbara Natural History Society and held the position of Secretary of the Society.[5] She was also a member of the publication committee for the Bulletin of the Santa Barbara Society and published an article in that journal in March 1887.[6]
As well as publishing papers on her botany work Bingham collaborated with botanists such as
Alpheus Hervey,[7]William Gilson Farlow[8] and
Jacob Georg Agardh.[8] Bingham assisted their work by providing specimens, lists of plants she collected, notes on special habitat, seasons of growth and frequency of appearance.[7]
Bingham, R. F. (1890). "Medicinal Plants growing wild in Santa Barbara and vicinity". Bulletin of the Santa Barbara Society of Natural History. 1 (2): 34–37.
^
abHollenberg, George J.; Abbott, Isabella A. (1992). Marine Algae of California. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 24.
ISBN9780804721523.
^
abCharters, Michael L.
"bing'hamiae". www.calfora.net. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
^Creese, Mary R. S. (1998). Ladies in the laboratory? : American and British women in science, 1800-1900 : a survey of their contributions to research. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow. p. 3.
ISBN081083287-9.
^Bingham, R. F., Mrs (March 1887).
"Flora Near Santa Barbara California". Bulletin of the Santa Barbara Society of Natural History. 1: 18–21. Retrieved April 30, 2015.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)