Billie June McCaskill
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Billie June McCaskill | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1930 Altadena, California, United States |
| Died | May 9, 2001 (aged 70) California, United States |
| Resting place | San Gabriel Cemetery, California, United States.[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany. |
Billie June McCaskill,[2] better known as June McCaskill (June 2, 1930 – May 9, 2001), was an American herbarium curator at the University of California, Davis and expert in weed identification.[3][4]
McCaskill was born in Altadena, in California.[3] She grew up in Pasadena where her parents, Vern and Billie operated a nursery called McCaskill Gardens.[5]
She attended Mills College in 1949, and graduated with a degree in botany in 1951.[3][5] She started her career at University of California, Davis in 1953, becoming the first curator of the Botany Department's Herbarium, a position that she held until her retirement.[6] McCaskill specialised in the identification of weeds, and was particularly focused on agricultural weeds that were toxic to livestock.[5] Her botanical skills were also used to investigate multiple homicides.[6][5][7] She retired in 1991.
Published major work
- Bill B. Fischer, Arthur H. Lange, June McCaskill, Beecher Crampton, and Betsey Tabraham, Growers Weed Identification Handbook (University of California), multiple editions.
- John M. Tucker, and June McCaskill. "Heteranthera Limosa in California." Madroño, vol. 19, no. 2, 1967, pp. 64–64.