Joseph (Jean) Édouard Bommer (16 November 1829,

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

– 19 February 1895, Brussels) was a Belgian

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 ...

specializing in the field of

pteridology The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

. He was the husband of

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

Elise Caroline Destrée de Bommer (1832-1910). JE Bommer

Despite no formal training in botany, in 1856 he acquired a position as an assistant at the ''

Jardin Botanique National de Belgique Meise Botanic Garden (; ), until 2014 called the National Botanic Garden of Belgium (; ), is a botanical garden located in the grounds of Bouchout Castle in Meise, Flemish Brabant, just north of Brussels. It is one of the world's largest bot ...

''. Here, he later served as

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

and as a provisional director. In 1870 he became a professor at the state

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

school in Vilvorde, followed by a professorship in botany at the University of Brussels (1872).Br.fgov.be
National Botanic Garden of Belgium; History In 1862 he was a founding member of the ''Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique''. He was also co-founder of the ''Société Belge de Microscopie''. Although he worked on different types of plants, he was primarily interested in

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s. At the time of his death, he was working on a monograph of the

maidenhair fern ''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it ...

genus, ''

Adiantum ''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it ...

''. The genus '' Bommeria'' ( E.Fourn. ex Baill.) of the family

Pteridaceae Pteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, including some 1150 known species in ca 45 genera (depending on taxonomic opinions), divided over five subfamilies. The family includes four groups of genera that are sometimes recogni ...

is named in his honor.

Selected publications

* ''Monographie de la classe des fougères : classification'', 1867 - Monograph on ferns; classification. * ''Notice sur le Jardin botanique de Bruxelles'', 1871. * ''Sur l'amylogenèse dans la règne végétal'', 1874 - On amylogenesis within the plant kingdom.WorldCat Identities
(publications)

References

External links

IPNI
List of plants described and co-described by Jean-Edouard Bommer. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bommer, Jean-Edouard 1829 births 1895 deaths Scientists from Brussels Pteridologists 19th-century Belgian botanists