Joseph-François Soleirol (13 July 1781 in

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

– 5 March 1853 in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

) was a French army engineer and amateur

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 ...

. From 1800 he studied at the

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, then embarked on a military career in which he attained the rank of captain in 1807. Later on, he served as an instructor at the École d'application de l'artillerie et du genie (School of artillery and engineering) in

. In 1841 he became a member of the Académie royale de Metz.Soleirol, Joseph François
IDREF.fr In the field of botany he collected numerous plant specimens in Lorraine and has historically been given credit for extensive collections actually made by his younger brother, Henri-Augustin (1792–1860) in Corsica, where he spent much of his career, also a military engineer.Soleirol, Joseph François
SARDOA d- library The plant genus ''

Soleirolia ''Soleirolia soleirolii'' (, syn. ''Helxine soleirolii'') is a plant in the Urticaceae, nettle family. It has a number of common names, including baby's tears, angel's tears, peace in the home, bits and pieces, bread and cheese, Corsican creeper ...

'' ( Gaudich.; family Urticaceae) commemorates his name, as do species with the epithet of ''soleirolii''.Alfalfa and Relatives: Evolution and Classification of Medicago
by Ernest Small In 1843 he was co-founder of the Société d'horticulture in Metz. He also had a passion for music, and served as director of the Société philharmonique de Metz.Joseph-François Soleirol (1781-1863)
data.bnf.fr

Selected works

* ''Cahier classique sur le cours de construction, à l'usage des élèves de l'École royale de l'artillerie et du génie'', (1819) – Classical book on construction, for use by students of the Royal School of Artillery and Engineering. * ''Recueil d'expériences sur les mortiers de construction, suivi d'observations sur la manière d'opérer dans les recherches de ce genre'', (1835) – Series of experiments on construction mortars. * ''Recherches sur la stabilité des batardeaux en maçonnerie'', (1841) – Research on the stability of masonry

cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or re ...

s. * ''Quelques faits relatifs aux Ardennes observés en 1841'', (1845) – Some facts about

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

observed in 1841. * ''Une application de la géométrie descriptive'', (1856–57) – An application of

descriptive geometry Descriptive geometry is the branch of geometry which allows the representation of three-dimensional objects in two dimensions by using a specific set of procedures. The resulting techniques are important for engineering, architecture, design and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soleirol, Joseph-Francois 1781 births 1853 deaths People from Verdun 19th-century French botanists Structural engineers