Aimée Antoinette Camus (1 May 1879 – 17 April 1965) was a French botanist. She was best known for her study of orchids and oaks. Camus also has the legacy of authoring the second highest number of land plant species among female scientists, in total naming 677 species.

Biography

Camus was the daughter of Edmond Gustave Camus, also a botanist, and was born in L'Isle-Adam, about 50 kilometres north of Paris. Under her father's influence, she specialized in the study of orchids and the anatomy of the plant and worked for some time with other professionals such as Paul Bergon (1863-1912) and Paul Henri Lecomte (1856-1934). She was especially close to her sister, the painter Blanche-Augustine Camus (1881-1968).

Collaboration with the Paris Natural History Museum

From 1922, Camus voluntarily collaborated for more than 30 years as a free worker for the Paris Natural History Museum and her numerous publications are part of the Museum's collections. According to the comments made on her Legion of Honour file, she contributed greatly to the influence and reputation of the museum in the world. She produced a major treatment of the Quercus oaks and Lithocarpus stone oaks, providing the first comprehensive systematic treatment of the latter genus. She also gave the name of Neohouzeaua to a genus of seven tropical bamboo, in honour of the lifelong work that Jean Houzeau de Lehaie had devoted to the understanding of the botany and propagation of bamboo in Europe and Africa. Aimée Antoinette Camus died on 17 April 1965 at her home in the 15th arrondissement of Paris at the age of 85.

Honors and awards