Sarah Paxon Moore Cooper

Sarah Paxon Moore Cooper (September 18, 1824 – March 13, 1908) was an American botanist and botanical collector, known for her specialization in ferns. She was among the pioneering women in the field of botany during the late 19th century, active primarily in Santa Barbara, California. She was the first female botanist to have an American fern named in her honor, Myriopteris cooperae, or Mrs. Cooper's Lip Fern.

Early life and marriage Sarah Paxon Moore was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1824, the daughter of Gainer Moore and Mary Cooper Moore. She was raised as an orthodox Quaker. Two years later, the couple moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where they spent nearly ten years. In 1865, they moved to Brooklyn, New York. In California, she was the head of the board of trustees for Santa Barbara College, a boarding primary and secondary school run from 1873 to 1882 before it was converted to the Ellwood Hotel and subsequently demolished in 1914. In connection with the school, she traveled to the east coast in 1873 to recruit a principal, and teachers of Latin, mathematics, and music; her recruits included Charles A. Storke, who became a prominent lawyer and politician in California.

Botanical work Cooper became a well-known active botanical collector in California in the late 1800s, particularly focusing on ferns. She was one of approximately 1,400 women from the United States and Canada known to have a deep interest in plants before 1900, 99 of whom were based in California. It was reported that Cooper was "well known by most of the botanists in the United States." As an initial member of the California Botanical Society in 1891, Cooper worked alongside notable figures such as Katherine Brandegee and H. W. Harkness at the California Academy of Sciences.

Cooper cared for a large home garden at the Cooper Ranch in Santa Barbara which spanned approximately four acres and containing about 1,000 types of plants. Her garden was a "must-see" attraction for visitors to the region. One article states "no other ranch or farm in America" was as well known as Cooper Ranch. She is also attributed with bringing one of the first dragon trees to California and possibly the United States. alt=Photo of a green fern frond in the sun. Mrs. Cooper's Lip Fern, Myriopteris cooperae, was named after Cooper in 1875.

Legacy and contributions Her botanical specimens are still held at multiple institutions, including over 100 specimens at the New York Botanical Garden Steere Herbarium under the name "S. P. Cooper", around 60 specimens at the Harvard University Herbarium from 21 plant families under the name "Mrs. Ellwood Cooper". She was referred to as a "noted pioneer" by the Santa Barbara Historical Society for her contributions to the region's botanical history.

The fern Myriopteris cooperae, or Mrs. Cooper's Lip Fern, is named after Cooper by D. C. Eaton, described in 1875. According to Eaton, this was the first American fern named for a female botanist. Eaton named many other plants after her.