William Botting Hemsley was an English botanist and 1909 Victoria Medal of Honour recipient.

He was born in East Hoathley, Sussex and started work at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...

 as an Improver, then Assistant for India in the Herbarium, finally Keeper of Herbarium and Library. He wrote a number of botanical works.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1889.

Publications

• Biologica Centrali-Americana Botany. Vol. I , 1879–1888
• Biologica Centrali-Americana Botany. Vol. III, 1882–1886
• BOTANY OF THE BERMUDAS and various other Islands of the Atlantic and Southern Oceans, 1885
• BOTANY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ, South-eastern Molluccas, and the Admiralty Islands, 1885
• An Enumeration of All the Plants Known from China Proper, Formosa, Hainan, Corea, the Luchu Archipelago, and the Island of Hong Kong. with Francis B Forbes, 1887