Katherine Sophia Kane facts for kids

Lady Katherine Sophia Kane (born Baily; 11 March 1811 – 25 February 1886) was an Irish botanist. She is most famous for her book The Irish Flora, which was published in 1833.

Life Story

Katherine Sophia Baily was born on 11 March 1811. She was the only child of Henry and Bridget Baily. Her father was a distiller, which means he made alcoholic drinks. He moved around Ireland for his job. Katherine's uncle was Francis Baily, a well-known astronomer. He was also a vice-president of the Royal Society.

Sadly, both of Katherine's parents died when she was young. Her uncle, Matthias O'Kelly, raised her at Rochestown House in County Dublin. Matthias was interested in nature. One of his own sons, Joseph O'Kelly, later became a geologist, someone who studies rocks and the Earth.

In 1838, Katherine married Robert Kane. It's a fun story how they met! People believe that a copy of her book, The Irish Flora, was sent to him by mistake. This led to them meeting. Later, her husband became the President of Queen's College Cork. However, Lady Kane chose to stay in Dublin. She preferred to look after her special collection of plants there.

Katherine and Robert had seven children who grew up. These included Robert Romney Kane and Henry Coey Kane. Katherine died in Dublin on 25 February 1886.

Botanical Discoveries

Katherine Sophia Kane is known for her important book, The Irish Flora. This book was published in 1833. It was a Linnean botanical work, which means it used the system of naming plants developed by Carl Linnaeus. The book was published without an author's name, but it is now known to be hers.

Katherine was only 22 years old when her book first came out. Even though it wasn't a very big book, it was one of the first of its kind for Ireland. People praised it for being very accurate. The Irish Flora became the recommended book for studying plants at Trinity College, Dublin. This was because it listed many plants that had not been recorded in Ireland before.

It is thought that John White, from the Irish Botanic Gardens, helped her put the book together. Also, Dr. Walter Wade encouraged her to write it. In 1836, when she was 25, Katherine made history. She became the first woman to be chosen as a member of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh.

Katherine also had a special collection of dried plants, called a herbarium. This collection is now kept at University College Cork. She was also very interested in growing trees. She even wrote articles about tree cultivation for the Irish Farmer's and Gardener's Magazine.