Christine Marie von Cappelen
Christine Marie von Cappelen, sometimes known as "Maja" or "Mother Cappelen," was Norway's first female botanist.
Early life and family
Von Cappelen was born on 21 September 1766 in Drammen, Buskerud, Denmark–Norway. She married merchant and politician Peder von Cappelen on 25 December 1784. She was sometimes known as "Maja" or "Mother Cappelen."Botany
Von Cappelen was Norway's first female botanist and was a friend of Norwegian botanist Christen Smith. She recorded a handwritten flora of the plants at Eidsfoss in Holmestrand, Norway, where her husband owned the ironworks Eidsfos Verk. The work was titled Wild-growing Plants in Eidsfoss and the Surrounding Area and is now held at the University Botanical Garden in Oslo.Von Cappelen was also interested in astronomy.