Clémence Lortet (17 September 1772 – 15 April 1835) (née Richard) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

. In 1823, she became an associate of the Linnean Society of Paris, and with Giovanni Balbis and others, co-founded the Linnean Society of Lyon.

Life and work

As the daughter of Pierre Richard (1741–1815), silk dyer, and Jeanne Gondret (1750–1826), she was introduced to science very early by her father. In 1791, she married Jean-Pierre Lortet (1756–1823) and they had a son, Pierre Lortet (1792–1868). During the

Siege of Lyon The siege of Lyon occurred on 9 August to 9 October 1793 when French Republican forces laid siege and captured the city of Lyon, which was the centre of a revolt against the French government during the War of the First Coalition. Historical ...

in 1793, when young Pierre was only an infant, Clémence worked hard to treat and save the wounded on both sides of the conflict, both Royalists and

Jacobins The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...

, at considerable personal risk. In 1803, deeply affected by these events, she consulted the physician Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert, who was also a botanist and designer and director of the Jardin des Plantes de Lyon, who recommended to her: "Exercise your legs and keep your head busy. You have a garden, grow plants in it and come to my botany lessons." A sustained collaboration between the two followed. In time, Clémence Lortet became a naturalist in mineralogy and botany. In particular, she collaborated with botanists Noël-Antoine Aunier and Georges Roffavier, then with

Giovanni Battista Balbis Giovanni Battista Balbis (17 November 1765 – 3 February 1831) was an Italian botanist and politician who worked in Italy and France. He alternately was called Gioanni Battista Balbis and Jean-Baptiste Balbis. With French botanist Clémence Lo ...

. In 1823, she became a free associate of the Linnaean Society of Paris. She co-founded, with Balbis among others, the Linnaean Society of Lyon. A sustained collaboration followed. Although she did not publish any journal articles in her lifetime, several of her manuscripts are published.

Family

Her son was the physician Pierre Lortet and his son was the physician and botanist Louis Lortet (1836–1909).

Taxa

* LHieracium lortetiae'' (''

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

'' in the Flore lyonnaise) was found in Pilat by Clémence Lortet * The genus '' Lortetia Ser., 1847'' (''

Passifloraceae The Passifloraceae are a family of flowering plants, containing about 750 species classified in around 27 genera. They include trees, shrubs, lianas, and climbing plants, and are mostly found in tropical regions. The family takes its name from t ...

'') was created by

Nicolas Charles Seringe Nicolas Charles Seringe (3 December 1776 – 29 December 1858) was a French physician and botanist born in Longjumeau. He studied medicine in Paris, and subsequently served as a military surgeon. In this role, he was involved in the German campai ...

, in memory of Clémence Lortet

Honors

The municipal library of the 6th arrondissement of Lyon, which is part of the Municipal Library network of Lyon, has borne her name since 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lortet, Clemence 1772 births 1835 deaths 19th-century French botanists 19th-century French women scientists French naturalists French botanists Women botanists Women naturalists