Alfred Charles Chabert (

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambér ...

, 29 February 1836 – Chambéry, 1 October 1916) was a physician in the French army and a botanist. He developed an interest in botany at an early age. He started to explore the natural life around his home town in 1848, at the age of twelve, together with his friend and botanist (1826–1905). Several plant species were named in his honor, such as ''

Lamanonia ''Lamanonia'' is a genus of trees in the family Cunoniaceae. It is endemic to South America. It is found in north eastern Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Species The genus name of ''Lamanonia'' is in honour of Robert de Lamanon (1752–1787), ...

chabertii'', ''

Knautia ''Knautia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan ...

chabertii'', ''

Luzula ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropic ...

chabertii'', and ''

Rhinanthus ''Rhinanthus'' is a genus of annual hemiparasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae, formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae. Its species are commonly known as rattles. The genus consists of about 30 to 40 species found in ...

chabertii''.

Army career

Chabert became a doctor of medicine at the Faculty of Turin in 1858 at the age of 22. He worked as a physician during the 1859

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and t ...

, for which he received the Medal of Italy. When in 1860,

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

was ceded to France, Chabert chose the French nationality. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, he served in the 4th Corps of the Army of the Rhine, for which he was appointed Knight of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. From then on he worked in several military hospitals. He retired in 1889 due to his deteriorating health.

Botany

Chabert was an active botanist from an early age until his death. His friendship with André Songeon lasted more than half a century. In 1852, the parents of both young men considered their enthusiasm so excessive, that they decided to restrict their relationship. They stopped meeting in their home town Chambéry, but went on excursions in the mountains regularly.

References

19th-century French botanists 1836 births 1916 deaths 19th-century French physicians 20th-century French botanists {{France-botanist-stub