An Arrangement of British Plants

work by Withering

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July 20, 2026

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William Withering's An Arrangement of British Plants (1787–92) was a significant botanical work designed to introduce amateur botanists, particularly young women, to the Linnaean classification system. This publication also featured his innovative field microscope, known as the Withering botanical microscope. While Withering is more widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on the medicinal uses of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) in treating dropsy, his contributions to botany through this arrangement and his earlier work, A Botanical Arrangement of All the Vegetables Growing Naturally in G. Britain (1776), solidified his reputation as a botanist.1

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William Withering
Botanical works
Withering’s later work, An Arrangement of British Plants (1787–92), was designed to show amateur botanists, many of whom were young women, the utility of the Linnaean classification system. In addition, this work introduced his specially designed field microscope, which subsequently became known as the Withering botanical microscope.
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Withering’s later work, An Arrangement of British Plants (1787–92), was designed to show amateur botanists, many of whom were young women, the utility of the Linnaean classification system. In addition, this work introduced his specially designed field microscope, which subsequently became known as the Withering botanical microscope.
Read More