Jane Colden (1724 – 1766) was the first female botanist in the United States. Renowned and recognized by her peers, she does a great job cataloging the flora of New York State.
An early curiosity and intelligence
Born in New York on March 27, 1724, Jane Colden was the daughter of Cadwallader Colden, physician, governor and botanist . Very quickly, she attends the activities of her father who studies plants and the new classification system of Carl von Linné (Swedish naturalist), and who collects, dries or plants specimens in their garden. Very quickly, Cadwallader, delighted with the curiosity of his daughter "Jenny", encourages this interest and invites her to participate in his activities. He teaches him his science, passing on his knowledge and encouraging him to take an interest in the knowledge of local populations.
At 13, Jane's knowledge was such that, through and with the help of her father, she corresponded with the greatest botanists of her time, such as Samuel Bard, Peter Collinson and Alexander Garden; the latter will be his most influential support.
Flora of New York State
From 1753 to 1758, Jane Colden carried out a colossal work to catalog the flora of the state of New York. She compiles some 300 species of plants from the Hudson River Valley, gathers information and illustrates it with talent. To classify these species, it uses the Linnaean system, the classification of Carl von Linnaeus.
In 1759, Jane married William Farquhar, a physician, and ceased her activities as a botanist. In 1766, she gave birth to her only child, who died shortly afterwards. She herself only survived her child by a few months.
His manuscript listing the 300 plant species of New York is kept in the British Museum. Recognized by her peers in her time but also by her successors, the botanist Asa Gray will say of her that she was the first American botanist.