José Manuel Restrepo Vélez (30 December 1781 – 1 April 1863) was an investigator of Colombian

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

. The

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

genus ''

Restrepia ''Restrepia'', abbreviated Rstp in horticultural trade, is a small genus of 50orchids in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), closely related to ''Pleurothallis''. Named in honor of Don Jose Restrepo, it tends to be more showy than most other Pleur ...

'' was named in his honor. Restrepo was born in the town of

Envigado Envigado () is a town southeast of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta to the south, El Retiro and Caldas t ...

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department, Colombia * Antioquia State, Colombia (defunct) * Antioquia District, Peru * Antioquia Railway The Antioquia Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Antioquia) i ...

in the Colombian Mid-west. He graduated as a lawyer from the Colegio de San Bartolomé in the city of

Santa Fe de Bogotá Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. He later worked as Secretary for

Juan del Corral Juan del Corral was an early seventeenth century Spanish architect who worked in Peru. His most famous bridge, El Puente de Piedra in Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest ...

and Governor

Dionisio Tejada Dionisio, a variant of Dionysius, may refer to: People Given name * Dionisio Lazzari (1617-1689), Italian sculptor and architect * Dionisio Aguado y García (1784-1849), Spanish classical guitarist and composer * Papa Isio (1846-1911), Dionisio ...

during their dictatorial government over

. From 1811 to 1814 he became a Deputy Representative of

during the Congress of the

United Provinces of New Granada The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1810 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as ''la Patria Boba'' ("the Foolish Fatherland"). It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada, roughly corresp ...

. After the Independence from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

was achieved by

Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, Restrepo became governor of Antioquia in 1819 during the

Greater Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 18 ...

. Restrepo was profoundly interested in geography and fauna of

References

Jorge Orlando Melo Revista Credencial Historial (Bogotá - Colombia). Tomo I. Enero-diciembre, 1990. No.1-12

External links

1781 births 1863 deaths People from Envigado 19th-century Colombian lawyers Governors of Antioquia Department 19th-century Colombian botanists Colombian abolitionists Botanists active in South America {{colombia-botanist-stub