Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lees, Edwin
LEES, EDWIN (1800–1887), botanist, born at Worcester in 1800, was educated at Birmingham. He began his career as a printer and stationer at 87 High Street, Worcester, and in 1828 he published, under the pseudonym of 'Ambrose Florence,' a guide to the city and cathedral, which contained a catalogue of the plants in the vicinity. He also contributed lists to Loudon's 'Magazine' and to Sir C. Hastings's 'Natural History of Worcestershire.' In 1829 he began to publish 'The Worcestershire Miscellany,' of which, only five numbers and a supplement appeared. It was issued in book form in 1831. On 12 Jan. 1829 he founded the Worcester Literary and Scientific Institute, of which he was joint secretary. He gave up business early in life, and devoted all his energies to local botany, in 1843 issuing his 'Botany of the Malvern Hills' (3rd edit. 1868); 'Botany of Worcestershire,' 1867; 'The Botanical Looker-out,' 1842 and 1851; 'Pictures of Nature,' 1856; and papers in the periodical press. He died on 21 Oct. 1887 at Greenhill Summit,' Worcester, and was buried at Pendock, Worcestershire. Lees, who was F.L.S. and F.G.S., was one of the first in this countrv to pay regard to the forms of brambles, and is commemorated botanically by his discovery, Rubus Leesii. Lees also published a masque in verse entitled 'Christmas and the New Year,' 2nd ed. 1828, and 'Scenery and Thought in Poetical Pictures of various Landscape Scenes and Incidents,' 1880.
[Journ. Bot. 1887, p. 384; Worcestershire Chronicle, 29 Oct. 1887.]