Professor Tom Harris was a distinguished paleobotanist and keen gardener.

Tom Harris was an academic at the University of Reading

University of Reading

The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...

 who was Head of the Department of Botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

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Harris supervised William Chaloner (botanist), later a botany professor.

Tom Harris would say to students: "If you're not prepared to die for botany, you'd better be prepared to kill for it!"

The Harris Garden

Harris Garden

The Harris Garden is a botanical garden on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, about from the centre of the English town of Reading. It was established in 1972 and expanded into its current form in 1988. It is named after Professor Tom Harris, a distinguished palaeobotanist and...

, located on the University of Reading's Whiteknights Campus, was named after him.