Abstract:
George Vanderbilt had a curiosity about nature, and he financially supported extensive botanical activities at his Biltmore estate near Asheville. Five individuals were involved in the botanical work: Chauncy Delos Beadle, Frank Ellis Boynton, Francis Marian Crayton, Charles Lawrence Boynton, and Thomas Grant Harbison. The estate had widespread plant collections, a large herbarium, and a journal, Biltmore Botanical Studies. The botanical work was discontinued after a few years, but it made a significant contribution to the knowledge of the flora of the southeastern United States.