Katherine Sophia Baily

Lady Katherine Sophia Kane (née Baily; 11 March 1811 – 25 February 1886) was an Irish botanist, best known for her book on Irish flowering plants The Irish Flora.

Life Katherine Sophia Baily was born 11 March 1811, the only child of Henry and Bridget Baily (née O'Kelly). When her husband was elected President of the newly formed Queen's College Cork, Lady Kane refused to move there, preferring to stay in Dublin, tending to her collection of exotic plants. Katherine was aged 22 at the time of its first publication and although not a large work, it was one of the first of its kind, and lauded for its accuracy. The book became the recommended botany text in Trinity College, Dublin as it contained the first record of many plants. It is believed John White, of the Irish Botanic Gardens, helped with the compilation of the work, In 1836, the then 25-year-old Katherine became the first woman to be elected member of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, and her herbarium is housed in University College Cork. She had an interest in the cultivation of trees, writing about the subject for the Irish Farmer's and Gardener's Magazine.