George Samuel Perrottet (23 February 1790 – 13 January 1870,

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

), also known as Georges Guerrard-Samuel Perrottet, Guerrard Samuel Perrottet, Gustave Samuel Perrotet ic and Samuel Perrottet, was a

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 ...

and

horticulturalist 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 ...

from Praz, in the commune of Vully-le-Bas, today

Mont-Vully Mont-Vully (; frp, Mont-Vulyi) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of See (district of Fribourg), See in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Fribourg (canton), Fribourg in Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 20 ...

, canton Fribourg Switzerland. After expeditions in Africa and Southeast Asia where he collected plant and animal specimens, he worked in French Pondicherry, India, where he established a botanical garden. He took a special interest in plants of economic importance and was involved in the activities of acclimatisation societies in the various colonies of France. Many of his zoological specimens, sent to museums in France, were examined by other naturalists and named after him.

Career

Perrottet worked as a gardener at the Jardin des plantes in Paris, and in 1819–21 served as a naturalist on an expedition commanded by Naval Captain Pierre Henri Philibert. Perrottet's duties on the journey involved collecting plants in

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

for re-plantation and cultivation in

Guyane French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. It ...

From 1824 to 1829 he explored

Senegambia The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...

, a region of West Africa between the

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

and

Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable f ...

s, while also serving as administrator of "Sénégalaise", a government outpost and trading company. Prior to returning to France in 1829, he explored

Gorée Island (; "Gorée Island"; Wolof language, Wolof: Beer Dun) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlant ...

and

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

. With

Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemin Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemin (20 January 1796 in Pouilly-sur-Saône – 15 January 1842 in Montpellier) was a French botanist. He studied at the municipal college in Seurre, where he was considered one of the most distinguished pupils. U ...

(1796–1842) and

Achille Richard Achille Richard was a French botanist, botanical illustrator and physician (27 April 1794 in Paris – 5 October 1852). Biography Achille was the son of the botanist Louis-Claude Marie Richard (1754–1821). He was a pharmacist in the Frenc ...

(1794–1852), he published a work on the flora of Senegambia called ''Florae Senegambiae Tentamen'' (1830–1833), with its illustrative work being done by

Joseph Decaisne Joseph Decaisne (7 March 1807 – 8 January 1882) was a French botanist and agronomist. He became an ''aide-naturaliste'' to Adrien-Henri de Jussieu (1797-1853), who served as the chair of rural botany. It was during this time that he began to stu ...

(1807–1882). Starr 030405-0226 Perrottetia sandwicensis

In 1832 Perrottet was appointed correspondent of the

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle The French National Museum of Natural History, known in French as the ' (abbreviation MNHN), is the national natural history museum of France and a ' of higher education part of Sorbonne Universities. The main museum, with four galleries, is loca ...

in Paris, and from 1834 to 1839 was assigned to the Jardin Botanique et d'Acclimatation (garden of botany) and

acclimatisation Acclimatization or acclimatisation ( also called acclimation or acclimatation) is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), a ...

of the French government in

. In 1839 he returned to France, where he became involved with

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...

cultivation. From 1843 until his death in 1870, he headed and established the botanical gardens in Pondicherry as they are known today. He also took an interest in moths and silkworms.

Legacy

Perrottet is commemorated in the scientific names of four species of reptiles: ''

Ahaetulla perroteti ''Ahaetulla perroteti'', known commonly as the bronze-headed vine snake, Perrotet's vine snake, or the Western Ghats bronzeback, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Wester ...

'', ''

Plectrurus perroteti ''Plectrurus perrotetii'', commonly known as the Nilgiri burrowing snake or Perrotet's shieldtail,. www.reptile-database.org is a species of harmless snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India. Etymology The specific name ...

'', ''

Trachylepis perrotetii ''Trachylepis perrotetii'', also known commonly as the African red-sided skink, the red-sided skink, and the Teita mabuya, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Africa. Etymology The specific name, ''perrot ...

'', and ''

Xylophis perroteti ''Xylophis perroteti'', commonly known as Perrotet's mountain snake and the striped narrow-headed snake, is a species of snake in the family Pareidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Etymology Both the specific name, ...

''.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Perrotet ic, p. 203).

References

External links

IPNI
List of plants described or co-described by Perrottet.
Art de l'indigotier, Traite des indigoferes tinctoriaux, 1842Florae Senegambiae tentamen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perrottet, George Samuel Horticulturists 1793 births 1870 deaths People from Broye-Vully District 19th-century French botanists 19th-century Swiss botanists

Career

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links