English botanist, once considered the "premier systematic botanist of the 19th century." He studied law but was drawn to a love of botany early in life. In 1861, he became president of the Linnaean Society. In 1862, a member of the Royal Society.
He authored several botanical works, and is best known for efforts in plant classification book "Genera Plantarum", collaborating with Joseph Dalton Hooker.