Person
Coleman, Edith (1874 - 1951)
- Born
- 29 July 1874
Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom - Died
- 3 June 1951
Sorrento, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Naturalist and Teacher
Summary
Edith Coleman was a naturalist who wrote prolifically on a wide range of animals and published in both scientific journals and the popular press. Her particular interest was orchids, during the study of which she published a number of new species. She was first to observe and describe pseudocopulation, a pollination strategy whereby a flower, often an orchid, imitates a sexually receptive female insect and tricks the male into mating with it. Between 1926 and 1948 Coleman published 26 papers on the pollination of orchids. In 1949 she became the first woman to be awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria.
Details
Chronology
- 1887
- Life event - Migrated to Victoria with her family
- 1889 - 1898
- Career position - Teacher in Victorian Government schools
- 1949
- Award - Australian Natural History Medallion, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Clode, Danielle, The wasp and the orchid: the remarkable life of Australian naturalist Edith Coleman (Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, 2018), 420 pp. Details
Book Sections
- McEvey, Allan, 'Coleman, Edith (1875-1951), Naturalist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 13: 1940 - 1980 A-De, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1993), p. 463. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130508b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Anon, 'Edith Coleman: Australian Natural History Medallist', Wild Life (1951), 21. Details
- Clode, Danielle, 'Popular and Professional Communicators: Edith Coleman and Norman Wakefield', The Victorian naturalist, 122 (2005), 274-81. Details
- Willis, J. H., 'First lady recipient of Natural History Medallion - Mrs Edith Coleman', The Victorian naturalist, 67 (5) (1950), 99-100. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5338518. Details
- 'Coleman, Edith (18740729-19510603)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1462104. Details
See also
- Houghton, Sheila, '"If it is not against the rules": women in the FNCV 1880 - 1980', The Victorian naturalist, 122 (6) (2005), 290-306. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 29 May 2018, Last modified: 3 July 2018