Joseph (Jean) Édouard Bommer (16 November 1829,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

– 19 February 1895, Brussels) was a Belgian

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

specializing in the field of pteridology. He was the husband of

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

Elise Caroline Destrée de Bommer (1832-1910). JE Bommer

Despite no formal training in botany, in 1856 he acquired a position as an assistant at the '' Jardin Botanique National de Belgique''. Here, he later served as

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

and as a provisional director. In 1870 he became a professor at the state

horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

school in Vilvorde, followed by a professorship in botany at the

University of Brussels University of Brussels may refer to several institutions in Brussels, Belgium: Current institutions * Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), a French-speaking university established as a separate entity in 1970 *Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a D ...

(1872).Br.fgov.be
National Botanic Garden of Belgium; History In 1862 he was a founding member of the ''Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique''. He was also co-founder of the ''Société Belge de Microscopie''. Although he worked on different types of plants, he was primarily interested in

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s. At the time of his death, he was working on a monograph of the

maidenhair fern ''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern, is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it in its own family, Adiantaceae. The genus name comes from Greek, meaning "un ...

genus, ''

Adiantum ''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern, is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it in its own family, Adiantaceae. The genus name comes from Greek, meaning "un ...

''. The genus '' Bommeria'' ( E.Fourn. ex

Baill. Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895. Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on ...

) of the family Pteridaceae is named in his honor.

Selected publications

* ''Monographie de la classe des fougères : classification'', 1867 - Monograph on ferns; classification. * ''Notice sur le Jardin botanique de Bruxelles'', 1871. * ''Sur l'amylogenèse dans la règne végétal'', 1874 - On amylogenesis within the plant kingdom.WorldCat Identities
(publications)

References

External links

IPNI
List of plants described and co-described by Jean-Edouard Bommer. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bommer, Jean-Edouard 1829 births 1895 deaths Scientists from Brussels Pteridologists 19th-century Belgian botanists