Lester Rowntree

Who is Lester Rowntree?

Lester Gertrude Ellen Rowntree, a renowned field botanist and horticulturalist, was a pioneer in the study, propagation, and conservation of California native plants. In numerous journal and magazine articles, books, and public lectures, she shared her extensive knowledge of wildflowers and shrubs while arguing tirelessly for their protection.

A self-proclaimed “lady-gypsy”, Rowntree spent most of each year doing fieldwork in California and the West while living outdoors, believing that the only way to know native plants was to live with them for weeks at a time in their natural surroundings. Because of her reputation as a field botanist, Rowntree has been compared favorably to David Douglas, the 19th century British botanist who first documented western North American flora. Joan Parry Dutton writes: “There are striking similarities between Lester Rowntree and David Douglas. In fact, Lester could be Douglas’ plant-wise and spiritual descendant [for] Lester’s knowledge of California wild flowers is unrivaled; it is safe she knows more about them than Douglas ever knew. "