Sébastien René Lenormand (2 April 1796, in
Condé-sur-Noireau – 10 December 1871) was a French lawyer 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 ...
who specialized in the field of
phycology.
From 1817 he studied law in
Paris, and following graduation (1820), practiced law in the town of
Vire. In 1835 he quit the legal profession, moved to an estate called "Lénaudières", from where he focused his energies towards botany. As a botanist, he created an impressive
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 ...
, consisting mainly of
algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
species. Although he never left France, he collected a large number of botanical specimens from naturalists who travelled to all parts of the globe.
The algae genus ''Lenormandia'' (family
Rhodomelaceae
Rhodomelaceae is estimated to be the largest red algae family, with about 125 genera and over 700 species.
Included taxa
Rhodomelaceae includes the following tribes and genera:
''Incertae sedis
' () or ''problematica'' is a term used fo ...
) was named in his honor by
Otto Wilhelm Sonder in 1845.
Written works
* ''Note sur l'emploi du sulfure de carbone pour la conservation des herbiers'' (1858) – On the usage of
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
and
carbon for preservation of
herbaria.
* ''Catalogue des plantes recueillies a Cayenne'' (1859, with
Émile Deplanche Émile Deplanche (22 June 1824 in Argentan – 30 March 1874) was a French physician and naturalist.
He studied medicine and zoology in Caen. In 1854 he served as a surgeon in the Crimean War, and later the same year, he travelled as a surgeon ...
) – Catalog of plants collected in
Cayenne
Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Oc ...
.
WorldCat Search
publications
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenormand, Sebastien Rene
1796 births
1871 deaths
People from Condé-sur-Noireau
19th-century French botanists
French phycologists