Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation

Biographical Note

Mildred Esther Mathias (1906–1995) was a taxonomist and professor of botany at the University of California, Los Angeles (1962–1974). Among her many other accomplishments, she helped to establish the United States National Reserve system. In her lifetime she published over 100 botanical articles and books and received numerous awards. Matthias also served as president of the American Society for Plant Taxonomists (1964) and the Botanical Society of America (1984). In the years after her retirement in 1974, she led 53 groups in field trips and tours to more than 30 countries. She led her last tour, to Chile, in 1994 at the age of 88.

Scope and Contents Note

This collection consists of correspondence (including photocopies of her outgoing letters) concerning her activities and those of her correspondents, particularly activities relating to her determination of specimens of Apiaceae alt. Umbelliferae and her work on the family for a proposed North American flora under the editorship of Elmer D. Merrill and Henry A. Gleason of the New York Botanical Garden.

Finding Aid

A finding aid for this collection is available online.

Other Resources

For information about portraits of and biographical citations for the subject, see the Hunt Institute Archives Register of Botanical Biography and Iconography database.