George Karsten (3 November 1863 – 7 May 1937) was a German botanist born in Rostock. In 1885 he earned his doctorate from the University of Strasbourg, and in 1892 received his habilitation in botany at the University of Leipzig. Later on, he served as an associate professor at the Universities of Kiel (1898) and Bonn (from 1899). In 1909 he became a professor at the University of Halle and was appointed director of the botanical garden.