Leonora Strohmaier was an early member of the California Native Plant Society. Strohmaier was born in Berkeley, California in 1909 and was exposed to gardening early on via her mother in Sausalito. She attended UC Berkeley from 1928 to 1931 and received a degree in Botany with honors. After graduating she secured a position as T.A. in the Botany Department and attempted to pursue a Ph.D before deciding to become accredited to teach high school and junior college. In 1939 however she received her Ph.D in plant and yeast physiology and went on to work for Roma Winery in Fresno. Strohmaier was married in 1948 to Erwin Strohmaier after they met in the Sierra Club and became involved with the Berkeley Garden Club after the birth of her first child. She was introduced to the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) after joining the Regional Parks Association and became a liaison during the movement to save the Botanic Garden at Tilden. In this interview, Strohmaier discusses her early family history, exposure to Botany, marriage, work history, the Botanic Garden at Tilden, role of Berkeley Garden Club and Regional Parks Association in the creation of the CNPS, CNPS early years, and her additional memories. This interview is part of a group of interviews documenting the California Native Plant Society and was donated to the Oral History Center.