Alice Lounsberry

Who was Alice Lounsberry?

Alice Lounsberry was an American botanist and author active in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She worked closely with the Australian botanical artist Ellis Rowan, publishing three books with her as illustrator.

Alice Lounsberry was the daughter of James Smith Lounsberry and Sarah Woodruff Lounsberry. She was educated at Mrs. Sylvanus Reed's School, New York City. Lounsberry came to visit Ellis Rowan when Rowan was hospitalized with influenza in Washington, D.C., circa 1896-1897. Lounsberry then proposed that the artist illustrate her upcoming book on wildflowers. Rowan agreed, changing plans to return to Europe. Over a period of two or more years, the two traveled over the Southeastern United States in search of native plants. The first year, they traveled to Florida, exploring the St. Johns River, among other sites. They then visited the Southern Appalachian region, including Roan Mountain, Tennessee and Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. The next year they returned to that region, working at the herbarium of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Presumably this is where Lounsberry became acquainted with Chauncey Beadle.