author
Sir Francis Darwin
1848–1925
A botanist with a gift for careful observation, he helped shape the study of how plants move and respond to light. He is also remembered for preserving and interpreting Charles Darwin’s legacy through influential edited volumes and memoirs.
3 Audiobooks
The Power of Movement in Plants
by Charles Darwin, Sir Francis Darwin
Rustic Sounds, and Other Studies in Literature and Natural History
by Sir Francis Darwin
Springtime and Other Essays
by Sir Francis Darwin
About the author
Born at Down, Kent, on 16 August 1848, Francis Darwin was the third son of Charles and Emma Darwin. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and later trained in medicine at St George’s Hospital, though botany became his real field. He went on to build a respected career as a plant physiologist and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Much of his scientific work focused on plant movement and sensitivity, including research on how plants respond to light. He worked closely with his father and co-authored The Power of Movement in Plants, a notable study of plant behavior. Later he lectured in botany at Cambridge and became an important figure in British scientific life.
He also played a major part in telling the story of Charles Darwin to later generations. By editing The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin and other family materials, he helped shape public understanding of his father’s life and work. Francis Darwin was knighted in 1913 and died in Cambridge on 19 September 1925.