Kathleen Basford facts for kids

Kathleen Basford (born September 6, 1916 – died December 20, 1998) was a British botanist. She was very interested in genetics, which is the study of how traits are passed down.

Kathleen is famous for finding a special type of fuchsia flower. This flower was a cross between a New Zealand fuchsia and a Mexican fuchsia. Her discovery showed that this kind of flower existed 20 to 30 million years ago. This was a very long time ago, even before the continents had moved apart to their current positions.

Early Life and Education

Kathleen Basford was born in Grantham in 1916. She became interested in plants and flowers at a young age. Her nanny, named Winny, taught her how to spot different kinds of trees and wildflowers.

She went to Harrogate Ladies College for her schooling. However, biology was not taught there. Later, she studied botanical drawing at an art school in Nottingham. Botanical drawing is about drawing plants accurately. While there, she met Freddie Basford, who was studying chemistry. They got married in 1936. The couple later moved to Manchester and had three children.

Discovering the Ancient Fuchsia

In the late 1940s, Kathleen started growing and mixing different types of fuchsia flowers. She took evening classes to learn more about botany at the University of Manchester.

In 1952, she wrote an important paper for the Journal of the Fuchsia Society. In this paper, she described a new hybrid fuchsia. This flower was a mix of a New Zealand fuchsia and a Mexican fuchsia. Her research proved that this type of flower existed 20 to 30 million years ago. This was a big discovery because it showed that these plants existed before the continents had separated. This finding helped support the idea of continental drift, which is how continents move over time.

Career in Botany

Kathleen's amazing discovery earned her a job at the Botany Department at the University of Manchester. There, she worked with a geneticist named S. C. Harland. She studied for her master's degree (M.S.). Her research focused on how radiation affected the genes and growth of `groundsel` plants.

Basford also traveled with Harland to Peru. They worked together on growing different types of `maize`, which is also known as corn. After returning to the UK, she started working at the Department of Diagnostic Cytology at Christie Hospital. She continued to work there until she retired.

The Green Man Research

Kathleen Basford was also known for her studies on the cultural meaning of the `Green Man`. This is a mythical figure whose head seems to sprout leaves and plants.

In 1978, she published a book called The Green Man. In her book, she explained how this figure was a symbol for the "spiritual side of nature" in buildings and art. She believed the Green Man was still very important in modern society.