Asa Gray

Asa Gray (1810–1888) was an American botanist considered the most important of the 19th century, whose extensive studies unified the taxonomic knowledge of North American flora. He earned an M.D. in 1831 but pursued botany, becoming Harvard's first full-time botany professor in 1842, authoring key works like Gray’s Manual and Darwiniana, and supporting Darwin's evolution theory while reconciling it with religion.