Jean-Henri Humbert (24 January 1887 – 20 October 1967) 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

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

and Paris, and following a scientific excursion to

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, he worked as a university assistant at the faculty of

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

(from 1913). In 1919 he was appointed to the chair of

botany 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 w ...

, subsequently teaching botany classes at the institute of

and

industrial technology Industrial technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler, and more efficient. The industrial technology field employs creative and technically proficient individuals who can help a company ach ...

(1920–22). In 1922 he relocated to

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, where he became ''chef de travaux'' to the faculty of sciences. In 1931 he succeeded Henri Lecomte (1856-1934) as chair of botany 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 ...

. Humbert was a member of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer (1938) and the ''

Société botanique de France The Société botanique de France (SBF) is a French learned society founded on 23 April 1854. At its inaugural meeting it stated its purpose as "to contribute to the progress of botany and related sciences and to facilitate, by all means at its di ...

'', serving as its president from 1940 to 1944. He was also a member of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

and the ''Société d’Histoire Naturelle de l’Afrique du Nord''. From 1951 to 1957 he was a member of the

Académie des Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the ...

. He has a handful of botanical genera named after him, including ''Humbertiella'' from the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Hibisceae Hibisceae is a tribe of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, subfamily Malvoideae. Genera The following genera are included: *''Abelmoschus'' Medik. *''Anotea'' (DC.) Kunth *'' Cenocentrum'' Gagnep. *''Decaschistia'' Wight & Arn. ...

. He was an editor of the journa
"''Flore de Madagascar et des Comores''"
(Flora of Madagascar and the

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

).
Biodiversity Library

Written works

* ''Les Composées de Madagascar'', 1923 * ''Végétation du Grand Atlas Marocain oriental. Exploration botanique de l'Ari Ayachi'', 1924 (Vegetation of the Atlas Mountains, Great Eastern Moroccan Atlas Mountains. Botanical exploration of the Ari Ayachi). * ''La Disparition des forêts à Madagascar'', 1927 (The disappearance of the forests of Madagascar).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Humbert, Jean-Henri 1887 births 1967 deaths 20th-century French botanists Members of the French Academy of Sciences Scientists from Paris