Maria, who was part of the first generation of women science writers, is known for her writings on botany, and her "Botanical Dialogues" (1797) were praised by Darwin, who described her as "a lady well-skilled in botany".
Maria, who was part of the first generation of women science writers, is known for her writings on botany. This was originally a letter from Darwin and Boothby to Jacson written in 1795 Darwin also recommended Maria's work in his "Plan for the Conduct of Female Education" of that year, describing her as "a lady well-skilled in botany".