Phoebe Lankester

Phoebe Lankester (also Phebe Lankester, nee Pope; 10 April 1825 – 9 April 1900) was a British botanist known for her popular science writing, particularly on wildflowers, parasitic plants, and ferns. Her writing incorporated both technical, high-level text and writing accessible to the lay reader. She published several books, and wrote a syndicated column for more than twenty years, and lectured on science. Her husband was surgeon and naturalist Edwin Lankester, and her eldest son E. Ray Lankester became a zoologist.

Family She was born Phoebe Pope in Highbury to Samuel Pope, a former Manchester mill owner, and his wife, on 10 April 1825.