John William Bews (16 December 1884 — 10 November 1938) was a Scottish born South African botanist.

He did his schooling in Kirkwall and later studied mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, geology, Latin, English and logic at Edinburgh University.

[1][2] In 1909 Bews was appointed professor of botany and geology at the newly established Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

"Botany, patriotism and the politics of national unity were bound up... Bews made this links explicit, recommending that ecologists use the language of sociology to describe relationships in the plant world".

[6][7] The Bews Herbarium on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of Natal is named in his honour.