Crouch, Maria (née Telford) (fl. 1874-76)

Born to a warder, James Telford, and his wife. In 1861, Maria married Charles Crouch, a constable in the water police, in Fremantle, WA. They had three children. Leaving her children in the care of their maternal grandmother, in c.1872, Maria went to Cossack with her husband, where the Crouch brothers established a business as general importers.

Maria collected MEL specimens at Nickol Bay, 1874-1876; Fortescue River and Harding River, 1875; and Champion Bay, 1876.

She collected types of Hedyotis crouchiana F.Muell. (1876), named for her (as 'Marianna Crouch'), Trianthema turgidifolia F.Muell. (1876), and Bassia astrocarpa F.Muell. (1882) [now Neobassia astrocarpa].

There are also Maria Crouch specimens at NSW and PERTH.

Source: extracted from: Maroske, Sara and Vaughan, Alison (2014) 'Ferdinand Mueller's female plant collectors: a biographical register', Muelleria Vol.32 [consult for source references]