Irene Mounce

Irene Mounce (1894–1987) was a Canadian scientist who specialized in the mating systems of wood-destroying fungi, Hymenomycetes. She was a mycologist at the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, with Canada's federal department of agriculture (now Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). Her diligence and insight broke new ground in mycology and her successes made the way easier for other members of her sex.

Biography Irene Mounce was born in Union (now Cumberland), British Columbia in 1894. In 1920, Irene Mounce was the first woman to do graduate studies in agriculture, eventually earning her two graduate degrees in botany. She financed much of her education through scholarships and laboratory work.

Eponymous taxa The fungus Fomitopsis mounceae was named after Irene Mounce when the species was split from the European Fomitopsis pinicola. The name was given in honour of the foundational work by Mounce that allowed for the resolution of the genus, and as a tribute to her significant contributions to the field of mycology.

Honours and awards

Governor General's Gold Medal, University of British Columbia (on display in the Special Collections at the university). Hudson's Bay Company Research Fellowship as well as a Studentship, Canadian Honorary Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

Selected publications

Mounce, I. (1926) A preliminary note on Fomes pinicola Fr. and Pholiota adiposa Fr. – two heterothallic species of wood-destroying fungi. Phytopathology 16: 757–758. Mounce, I. (1929) Studies in forest pathology. II. The biology of Fomes pinicola (Sw.) Cooke. Canada Dept. of Agriculture Bull. 1 1, new series. 56 pp.