Maria Carolina ("Min") Collins was the daughter of John Thomas Collins and his wife Magdalena Catharina Johanna Olivier. She was appointed as assistant to the keeper of the botanical collection at the Transvaal Museum, Miss R. Leendertz*, in September 1907. The museum's annual report for 1907/8 mentions that "her work has been very satisfactory". She left her position in October 1913 to marry Walter Clifford Holden in January the next year. They settled in Durban, where she died five years later. They had one son.

There are 244 plant specimens collected by Collins in the National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, received from the Transvaal Museum. She also contributed butterflies to the museum's collection. The plant species Drosera collinsiae (slakblom) was named in her honour by N.E. Brown*. Her sister, Elizabeth ("Liz") S. Collins, also collected plants for the Transvaal Museum.

List of sources:

Codd, L.E. & Gunn, M. Additional biographical notes on plant collectors in southern Africa. Bothalia, 1985, Vol. 15, pp. 631-654.

FamilySearch: Maria Carolina Collins. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GC5Z-7TL/maria-carolina-collins-1887-1918

Gunn, M. & Codd, L.E. Botanical exploration of southern Africa. Cape Town: Balkema, 1981.

National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAAIRS). http://www.national.archives.gov.za/naairs.htm Documents relating to Holden, Maria Carolina.

Robertson, H. Biodiversity explorers. http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/people

Transvaal Museum. Annual Report for 1907/8, p. 3. (National Archives Repository, Pretoria (TAB), Vol. TKP 196).

Union of South Africa. Public service list, 1914.

Compiled by: C. Plug

Last updated: 2023-12-22 10:26:33