Jean Étienne Duby (15 February 1798 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

– 24 November 1885) was a Swiss

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and

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 ...

. He studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in Geneva, obtaining his

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

in 1820, and having an avid interest in natural history, he earned his degree in

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

in 1824. As a young man he was influenced by

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candoll ...

(1778–1841), and made contributions towards Candolle's publication of ''Botanicon gallicum; seu Synopsis plantarum in Flora gallica descriptarum'' (1828-1830). From 1831 to 1863 he served as a pastor in Eaux-Vives, Geneva, while in the meantime playing an active role in botany. He specialized in research of

cryptogam A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

s, including studies of European and exotic mosses, and taxonomic work involving the red algae genus '' Ceramium''. In addition to his work with cryptogams, he conducted studies on the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...

. In 1860–61 he was president of the ''Société de physique et d'histoire naturelle de Genève''. He was also a corresponding member of the Société de biologie de Paris and of the

Moscow Society of Naturalists Moscow Society of Naturalists (russian: Московское общество испытателей природы (MOIP)) is one of Russia's oldest learned societies. In 1805 it was founded as the Imperial Society of Naturalists of Moscow (''So ...

. Today, his

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

is part of the "general herbarium" at the ''Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques'' in Geneva.

Selected writings

* ''Essai d'application à une tribu d'algues de quelques principes de taxonomie, ou, Mémoire sur le groupe des Céramiées'', 1832. * ''Mémoire sur la famille des primulacées'', 1844. * ''Choix de cryptogames exotiques nouvelles ou mal connues''. 1867. * ''Mousses exotiques'', 1868-1881.

Legacy

The species ''

Vesicularia dubyana ''Vesicularia dubyana'', known as Java moss or Singapore moss, is a species of moss native to Asia. It is common in the aquarium trade. The species was named in honor of botanist Jean Étienne Duby. Description The species is monoecious and pe ...

'' is named for Duby.

References

Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse
(biography) {{DEFAULTSORT:Duby, Jean Etienne 19th-century Swiss botanists Phycologists Bryologists 1798 births 1885 deaths