Eliza Amy Hodgson (néeCampbell, 10 October 1888 – 7 January 1983) was a New Zealand botanist who specialised in liverworts.
Early life
Hodgson was born in Havelock North and attended Pukahu Primary School and Napier Girls' High School.[1] She went by her middle name Amy.[2] Hodgson was self-educated in botany as her father refused to allow her to attend university.[1]
Botany work
Hodgson collected numerous specimens and was encouraged by George Osborne King Sainsbury with whom she collected.[2] Hodgson also collected with Kenneth Willway Allison.[2] Between 1931 and 1936 she issued three exsiccatae, one of them together with Sainsbury and Allison.[3] Hodgson published her first scientific paper at the age of 42 and went on to publish more than 30 papers thereafter.[4] She described two new species of liverworts and nine new genera.[4] The liverwort Lejeunea hodgsoniana was named in her honour[5] as was the species Lepidolaena hodgsoniae.[1]
Hodgson was awarded an honorary doctorate by Massey University in 1976.[1][7]
In 2017, Hodges was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.[7]