Ynes Mexicana

Groundbreaking Mexican botanist who discovered over 500 plant species

Ynes Enriquetta Julietta Mexicana (1870–1938) redefined botanical exploration through her 850+ plant specimens collected in Mexico's uncharted regions. Her 1892 discovery of Magnolia mexicana (American Society of Plant Taxonomists) revolutionized tropical botany.

As one of few female scientists at the 1904 World's Fair, she challenged gender norms by presenting her phytogeographic zone theory. Her 1921 expedition through Oaxaca's Sierra Madre documented medicinal plants now used in cancer research.

Mexicana established Mexico's first seed bank in 1931, preserving endangered species like the Pinus hartwegii pine. The Mexicana Doctrine she proposed in 1935 remains foundational in modern ethnobotany studies.