List of notable or famous botanists from the United States, with bios and photos, including the top botanists born in the United States and even some popular botanists who immigrated to the United States. If you're trying to find out the names of famous American botanists then this list is the perfect resource for you. These botanists are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known botanist from the United States is included when available.
Examples of people on this list include George Washington Carver and Luther Burbank.
This historic botanists from the United States list can help answer the questions "Who are some American botanists of note?" and "Who are the most famous botanists from the United States?" These prominent botanists of the United States may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected American botanists.
Use this list of renowned American botanists to discover some new botanists that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}1
George Washington Carver (1860s – January 5, 1943), was an American agricultural scientist and inventor. He actively promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion.While a... more2
John C. Frémont
Age: Died at 77 (1813-1890)Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia, USA
Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia, USA
John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, politician, and soldier who, in 1856, became the first candidate of the Republican Party for the office... more- 3
Peter H. Raven
Age: 84Birthplace: Shanghai, China
Birthplace: Shanghai, China
Peter Hamilton Raven FMLS is a botanist and environmentalist, notable as the longtime director, now President Emeritus, of the Missouri Botanical Garden.... more - 4
Edgar Anderson
Dec. at 72 (1897-1969)Edgar Shannon Anderson (November 9, 1897 – June 18, 1969) was an American botanist. His 1949 book Introgressive Hybridization was an original and important contribution to botanical genetics.... more 
5Joseph Young Bergen
Dec. at 66 (1851-1917)Joseph Young Bergen (February 22, 1851 – October 10, 1917) was an American botanist.... more- 6
John Torrey
Dec. at 77 (1796-1873)Birthplace: New York City, New York
Birthplace: New York City, New York
John Torrey (August 15, 1796 – March 10, 1873) was an American botanist, chemist, and physician. Throughout much of his career, Torrey was a teacher of chemistry, often at multiple universities,... more - 7
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Dec. at 96 (1858-1954)Birthplace: South Haven, Michigan
Birthplace: South Haven, Michigan
Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American horticulturist and botanist who was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Bailey is credited with... more - 8
William Saunders
Dec. at 78 (1822-1900)William Saunders (December 7, 1822 – September 11, 1900) was a botanist, nurseryman, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and horticulturist. As the chief experimental horticulturalist in the US,... more - 9
Edwin James
Dec. at 64 (1797-1861)Birthplace: Weybridge, Vermont
Birthplace: Weybridge, Vermont
Edwin P. James (27 August 1797 – 28 October 1861), a 19th-century American botanist, geologist, and medical practitioner, was an important figure in the early exploration of the American West. James... more - 10
Wade Davis
Age: 66Birthplace: West Vancouver, Canada
Birthplace: West Vancouver, Canada
Wade Davis may refer to: Wade Davis (anthropologist) (born 1953), Canadian anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis (American football) (born 1977), former American football player Wade Davis... more - 11
Julius Nieuwland
Dec. at 58 (1878-1936)Birthplace: Nevele, Belgium
Birthplace: Nevele, Belgium
Reverend Julius Aloysius (Arthur) Nieuwland, CSC, Ph.D., (14 February 1878 – 11 June 1936) was a Belgian-born Holy Cross priest and professor of chemistry and botany at the University of Notre Dame. ... more - 12
Luther Burbank
Dec. at 77 (1849-1926)Birthplace: Lancaster, Massachusetts
Birthplace: Lancaster, Massachusetts
Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his... more - 13
Charles Christopher Parry
Dec. at 67 (1823-1890)Birthplace: Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
Birthplace: Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
Charles Christopher Parry (August 28, 1823 – February 20, 1890) was a British-American botanist and mountaineer.... more - 14
Mark Plotkin
Age: 65Mark J. Plotkin (born May 21, 1955) is an ethnobotanist and a plant explorer in the Neotropics, where he is an expert on rainforest ecosystems. Plotkin is an advocate for tropical rainforest... more - 15
Albert Ernest Radford
Dec. at 88 (1918-2006)Birthplace: Augusta, Georgia
Birthplace: Augusta, Georgia
Albert Ernest Radford (January 25, 1918 – April 12, 2006) was an American botanist active in the Southeastern United States. He was best known for his work as senior author of Manual of the Vascular... more - 16
William Bartram
Dec. at 84 (1739-1823)Birthplace: Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Birthplace: Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
William Bartram (April 20, 1739 – July 22, 1823) was an American naturalist. The son of Ann (née Mendenhall) and the naturalist John Bartram, William Bartram and his twin sister Elizabeth were born... more - 17
Charles Sprague Sargent
Dec. at 86 (1841-1927)Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts
Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts
Charles Sprague Sargent (April 24, 1841 – March 22, 1927) was an American botanist. He was appointed in 1872 as the first director of Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts,... more - 18
Arthur Cronquist
Dec. at 73 (1919-1992)Birthplace: San Jose, California
Birthplace: San Jose, California
Arthur John Cronquist (March 19, 1919 – March 22, 1992) was an American biologist, botanist and a specialist on Compositae. He is considered one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century,... more - 19
William Murrill
Dec. at 88 (1869-1957)Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia
Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia
William Alphonso Murrill (13 October 1869 – 25 December 1957) was an American mycologist, known for his contributions to the knowledge of the Agaricales and Polyporaceae. In 1904, he became the... more - 20
Benjamin Smith Barton
Dec. at 49 (1766-1815)Birthplace: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Birthplace: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Benjamin Smith Barton (February 10, 1766 – December 19, 1815) was an American botanist, naturalist, and physician. He was one of the first professors of natural history in the United States and built... more - 21
Benjamin Minge Duggar
Dec. at 84 (1872-1956)Benjamin Minge Duggar (September 1, 1872 – September 10, 1956) was an American plant physiologist. He was born at Gallion, Hale County, Alabama.... more - 22
Judith D. Zuk
Dec. at 56 (1951-2007)Judith Daria Zuk (September 11, 1951 – September 1, 2007) was an American horticulturist, author and conservationist who served as president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden from 1990 to 2005.... more - 23
William Chambers Coker
Dec. at 81 (1872-1953)Birthplace: Hartsville, South Carolina
Birthplace: Hartsville, South Carolina
William Chambers Coker (October 24, 1872 – June 26, 1953) was an American botanist and mycologist.... more - 24
Frederick Vernon Coville
Dec. at 70 (1867-1937)Birthplace: Preston, New York
Birthplace: Preston, New York
Frederick Vernon Coville (March 23, 1867 – January 9, 1937) was an American botanist who participated in the Death Valley Expedition (1890-1891), was honorary curator of the United States National... more - 25
Hugh Iltis
Age: 95Birthplace: Brno, Jihovýchod, Czech Republic
Birthplace: Brno, Jihovýchod, Czech Republic
Hugh Iltis (April 7, 1925 – December 19, 2016) was a professor of botany and director of the herbarium at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. While he is most noted as a scientist for his role in... more
