Gerald Prance

Born in Suffolk, England, in 1937, Sir Ghillean Prance studied at Oxford and built a career as one of the leading botanists of his generation. He is especially known for his work on Amazonian plant life, including research on families such as Chrysobalanaceae and Lecythidaceae, and for documenting the pollination ecology of Victoria amazonica.

From 1963 to 1988, he worked at The New York Botanical Garden, where he eventually became Director of the Institute of Economic Botany and Senior Vice-President for Science. He later served as Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, from 1988 to 1999, helping shape major botanical and conservation efforts.

Alongside his scientific career, he has written extensively for general readers as well as specialists. His work is often rooted in firsthand experience of tropical forests, making his writing especially appealing to listeners who enjoy nature, exploration, and the stories behind scientific discovery.