Amelia Smith Calvert

Amelia Smith Calvert (1876 in Philadelphia – December 15, 1965, in Chester) was an American botanist noted for studying the flora of Costa Rica with her husband, entomologist Philip Powell Calvert.

Life and work Amelia attended Girls’ High (at that time called The Girls’ Normal School) and then enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied botany.

After earning her bachelor's degree from Penn in 1899, Amelia took on a research fellowship at Bryn Mawr College focusing on embryology and earthworm physiology. Her results were published in the journals Anatomischer Anzeiger and the American Journal of Physiology.

A Year of Costa Rican Natural History In 1917, Amelia and Philip published their book A Year Of Costa Rican Natural History. In the study of the fauna and flora Calvert found that many flowers would bloom in a dry season where many of these flowers would dry out. This was important where they would be a source of food for many of the insects that Philip Powell Calvert was studying such as butterflies and dragonflies. Her book also featured photos of villages and the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica during her trip. Images included buildings, portraits, and traditional events alongside her flower research.

Panama disease Brown coloration in the bananas that were affected by the Panama disease. Amelia's travel led to her study of Panama disease in some of the plant life. Among those plants were bananas and how they reproduce and grow. In her studies of the banana plantations she found a dark brown hue. This hue is an insignificant coloration only for healthy bananas so it was important to study about the rapid growth of the Panama disease.

Selected work