Kathleen Basford

Kathleen Basford (6 September 1916 – 20 December 1998) was a British botanist, with a special interest in genetics. In 1952, while studying at the University of Manchester, she discovered a form of fuchsia that was a cross between a New Zealand and Mexican fuchsia, proving this form of flower existed 20–30 million years ago, before the continents had separated.[1] This earned her a job at the Botany Department at the University of Manchester, where she worked with geneticist S. C. Harland. She later worked at the Department of Diagnostic Cytology at Christie Hospital, where she worked until her retirement.[2]

She is also known for her research into the cultural significance of the Green Man, a mythical figure who had a head that sprouted foliage. In 1978, she published The Green Man, discussing how the figure was a motif for the "spiritual dimension of nature" in architecture, with an important relevance in modern society.[2][3]