Charles Darwin, Victorian Botany, and Victorian Culture

Despite not regarding himself as a botanist, Charles Darwin conducted extensive botanical research, particularly in the decades following the publication of Origin of Species, and he authored numerous botanical articles and books. His work on orchids, insectivorous species, plant movement, and cross-fertilization had dramatic impact on botanical science, blurring the boundary between plants and animals and deploying natural selection to solve several botanical puzzles. Darwin’s botanical studies were also widely disseminated and popularized in Victorian culture, incorporated into debates about breeding, sexuality, and marriage between cousins; fueling discussions about the origins and role of beauty; and inspiring early science fiction tales and comic ‘skits’ about man-eating plants and monstrous vegetables.