Jules Émile Planchon (21 March 1823 – 1 April 1888) was a French

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 ...

born in

Ganges, Hérault Ganges (; Languedocien: ''Gange'') is a commune in the Hérault department in Occitanie in southern France. Location Ganges is situated at the confluence of the Hérault and Rieutord rivers. History The castle, of which only ruins remain ...

Biography

After receiving his

Doctorate of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest univ ...

in 1844, he worked for a while at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London, and for a few years was a teacher in Nancy and

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. In 1853 he became head of the department of botanical sciences at the University of Montpellier, where he remained for the remainder of his career. Planchon was highly regarded in scientific circles, and made a number of contributions in his classification of botanical species and varieties. He is credited with publishing over 2000 botanical names, including ''

Actinidia chinensis ''Actinidia chinensis'' (Planch.), known commercially as the golden kiwifruit, is a fruiting vine, native to China. It is one of some 40 related species of the genus ''Actinidia'', and closely related to ''Actinidia deliciosa'', which is the sou ...

'', better known as the "golden

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' ...

". Planchon is remembered for his work in saving French grape vineyards from '' Phylloxera vastatrix'', a microscopic, yellow

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

-like pest that was an exotic species from the United States. He performed this task with assistance from French botanist Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet and American

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Charles Valentine Riley Charles Valentine Riley (18 September 1843 – 14 September 1895) was a British-born American entomologist and artist. He was one of the first individuals to use biological pest control and authored over 2,400 publications. He convinced Congress ...

. The solution involved introduction of American

grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, b ...

s (''

Vitis riparia ''Vitis riparia'' Michx, with common names riverbank grape or frost grape, is a vine indigenous to North America. As a climbing or trailing vine, it is widely distributed across central and eastern Canada and the central and northeastern parts ...

'' and ''

Vitis rupestris ''Vitis rupestris'' is a species of grape native to the United States that is known by many common names including July, Coon, sand, sugar, beach, bush, currant, ingar, rock, and mountain grape. It is used for breeding several French-American hy ...

'') to France for

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

purposes. American horticulturalist, T.V. Munson, was instrumental in identifying and provisioning the American rootstock that was resistant to ''Phylloxera'' and suitable for French growing conditions.

Written works

* ''Histoire botanique et horticole des plantes dites Azalées de l'Inde'', 1854 * ''Des hermodactes au point de vue botanique et pharmaceutique'', 1856 * ''Mémoire sur la famille des Guttiferes'', 1862 * ''Le Phylloxéra (de 1854 à 1873) résumé pratique et scientifique'', 1873 * ''Les mœurs du Phylloxéra de la vigne: résumé biologique'', 1877 * ''Les vignes américaines: leur culture, leur résistance au phylloxéra et leur avenir en Europe'', 1875 ** Works in English: * "On Meliantheae, a new natural order" proposed and defined by J. E. Planchon, 1848 * "The ''

Eucalyptus globulus ''Eucalyptus globulus'', commonly known as southern blue gum or blue gum, is a species of tall, evergreen tree endemic to southeastern Australia. This ''Eucalyptus'' species has mostly smooth bark, juvenile leaves that are whitish and waxy on ...

'' from a botanic, economic, and medical point of view, embracing its introduction, culture, and uses" 1875World Cat Identities
/ref> ** Writings about Jules Planchon: * "The Botanist and the Vintner; How Wine Was Saved for the World", by Christy Campbell

References

(biography of Jules Planchon) * ''Parts of this article are based on a translation of the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Planchon, Jules Emile 1823 births 1888 deaths 19th-century French botanists People from Hérault University of Montpellier people