2 memorable figures in the world of botany

Are you familiar with two big names from the world of plants? Alice Eastwood and John Thomas Howell are famous for their work in botany.

Eastwood lived a long and productive life from 1859 to 1953. She was the curator of botany at the California Academy of Sciences from 1891 to 1949. She discovered many new species of plants and has several named after her. Eastwood’s seaside agoseris, Eastwood’s fiddleneck, Eastwood’s larkspur and Eastwood’s willow are a few of the common ones. Two genera (in Latin for scientific names) have her name: Eastwoodia and Aliciella.

Howell lived from 1903 to 1999. He was Eastwood’s protégé at the beginning of his career at the California Academy of Sciences. The genera Howellanthus (Scott Mountain phacelia) and Johanneshowellia (Howell’s buckwheat) are named in his honor. Howell is best known for his book “Marin Flora,” an outstanding reference for amateur and expert Marin County botanists.

— Katie Martin, UC Marin Master Gardeners