U.S. paleobotanist and pioneer in the study of prehistoric climates based on geologic evidence, who discovered much about the distribution and structure of fossilized plants (fossil).

He was professor of botany at the Columbian (now George Washington) University, Washington, D.C. (1887–96), and curator of botany and fossil plants at the National Museum, Washington, D.C. (1887–89). In 1889 he joined the U.S. Geological Survey as an assistant paleontologist and was associated with the survey until his death.

Specializing in the microscopic study of internal structures of fossil plants, he discovered many species that flourished during Cretaceous and Tertiary times (from 2,500,000 to 136,000,000 years ago). The studies resulted in the publication of a valuable reference book, A Catalogue of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Plants of North America (1919). The same year, he published a paper, “Evolution of Geologic Climates,” that summarized his conclusions about the Earth's climate before the Pleistocene Epoch (from 10,000 to 2,500,000 years ago). Although the work received adverse criticism, it brought attention to this field of research.

Founder and first editor (1897–1904) of The Plant World, Knowlton published more than 200 papers and many books, including Birds of the World (1909) and Plants of the Past (1927).