André Thouin (10 February 1747 – 24 October 1824) was a French botanist. Thouin studied botany under

Bernard de Jussieu Bernard de Jussieu (; 17 August 1699 – 6 November 1777) was a French naturalist, younger brother of Antoine de Jussieu. Bernard de Jussieu was born in Lyon. He took a medical degree at Montpellier and began practice in 1720, but finding the w ...

, and in 1793 attained the chair of

horticulture 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 ...

at the

Muséum 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 loc ...

in Paris. He was a good friend of U.S. President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

, and the godfather of

Jean Baptiste Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolog ...

's son Andre. He is remembered for contributions made in the field of agronomy, including scientific studies that involved improved grafting techniques and seed selection. He played an important role in the reshaping of Natural History in France during the revolution. He was a pioneer conservationist, stressing the importance of replacing woodlands to compensate for their destruction due to human encroachment. The plant genre, '' Thouinia'' (family Sapindaceae, 1804) from Central and South America, and '' Thouinidium'' (family Sapindaceae, 1878) from Mexico and Central America, are both named after him. As a taxonomist, he described at least 15 new species. Most have been degraded to synonyms. Thouin supervised Elisabeth Julienne Pommereul in her work at the ''Jardin du Roi.''

Selected publications

* ''Description de l'École d'agriculture pratique du Muséum d'histoire naturelle'', (1814). * ''Manuel d'arboriculture. Manuel illustré de la culture, de la taille et de la greffe des arbres fruitiers''. * ''Monographie des greffes, ou Description technique des diverses sortes de greffes employées pour la multiplication des végétaux'', (1821). * ''Traite des arbres forestiers :ou histoire et description des arbres indigenes ou naturalises... /par M. Jaume Saint-Hilaire. Ouvrage precede d'une instruction sur la culture des arbres'', (1824). * ''Cours de culture et de naturalisation des végétaux'', (1827).

References

External links

* 1746 births 1824 deaths Botanists with author abbreviations Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French botanists Members of the French Academy of Sciences Scientists from Paris 18th-century French botanists {{France-botanist-stub