| Elizabeth Gertrude Britton (née Knight) | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1857 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | February 25, 1934 (aged 77) The Bronx, New York, United States |
| Citizenship | American |
| Fields | Botany, Bryology |
| Author abbreviation (botany) | E.Britton |
Elizabeth Gertrude Britton (née Elizabeth Gertrude Knight) (January 9, 1857 – February 25, 1934) was an American botanist, bryologist and educator born in New York City. She and her husband, Nathaniel Lord Britton played a significant role in the fundraising and creation of the New York Botanical Garden.[1]
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She spent her childhood in Matanzas, Cuba and New York City, and graduated from Hunter College in 1875. On August 27, 1885 she married Nathaniel Lord Britton.
She and her husband travelled to the Kew Gardens in 1888, which led to her inspiration to found a similar garden in New York. Both were members of the Torrey Botanical Club at the time they married. Her early specialty was bryology, and she later became honorary curator of mosses at the New York Botanical Garden. She founded the Sullivant Moss Society, which later became the American Bryological and Lichenological Society.[2]
In 1902, Britton founded the Wildflower Preservation Society of America.
Elizabeth Britton published more than 350 papers. The moss genus Bryobrittonia is named after her, as well as the moss species Dryopteris brittonae Sloss, Goniopteris brittonae (Sloss.) Ching, Thelypteris brittonae (Sloss.) Alain, and the orchid Ponthieva brittonae Ames.[3]