Joseph Nelson Rose

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Joseph Nelson Rose ( January 11, 1862 - May 4, 1928 ) was an American botanist. He was born in Union County, Indiana. His father died serving during the Civil War when Joseph Rose was a young boy. He later graduated from high school in Liberty, Indiana.

He received his Ph.D. from Wabash College in 1889. having received his B.A. and M.A. earlier at the same institute. He married Lou Beatrice Sims in 1888 and produced with her three sons and three daughters.

Rose worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and became an assistant curator at the Smithsonian in 1896.

While Rose was employed by the national museum, he was an authority on several plants families, including Apiaceae (Parsley Family) and Cactaceae (Cactus Family). He made several field trips to Mexico, and presented specimens to the Smithsonian and the New York Botanical Garden.

With Nathaniel Lord Britton, Rose published many articles on the Crassulaceae. He took a leave of absence from the Smithsonian to do further fieldwork in South America and publish with Britton, the four-volume work, The Cactaceae (1919 - 1923).

Rose returned to work afterwards at the Smithsonion, making further contributions to Botany.