Mary Katharine Brandegee

Mary Katharine Brandegee (born as Mary Katharine Layne) was an American botanist.

In 1866, she married Hugh Curran, a policemen with an Irish origin, changing her name to Mary Katharine Curran. After Curran's death, Mary went to San Francisco to study medicines at the University of California. It is here where she decides to study botany. Later, she is introduced by her teacher, Hans Hermann Behr to the naturalists at the California Academy of Sciences. She was eventually given the honor of curator at the academy by Albert Kellogg.

In 1889, she married the botanist, Townshend Stith Brandegee.

Honors
Many species were named after her, such as Astragalus layneae and Packera layneae.

Abbreviation
Being married twice, she is one of the rare botanists who have two author abbreviations.

When citing a botanical name, she is abbreviated as either Curran or K.Brandegee.