Elmer Drew Merrill (1876-1956) was an American Botanist specialized in the plants of South East Asia. In 1898 Elmer Drew Merrill received the Bachelor of Science at the University of Maine.
From 1902 to 1923 he was working as a botanist for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Philippines. 1929 Elmer Drew Merrill moved to New York, where he became Director of the New York Botanical Garden and professor of botany at the Columbia University.
From 1935 until his retirement in 1946,
Merrill was director of the Arnold Arboretum of the Harvard University.
Elmer Drew Merrill died at 25.02.1956.

His author abbreviation: Merr.