Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774–1846) was the French biologist botanist and army officer who is commemorated by his

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

, ''

Magnolia × soulangeana ''Magnolia'' × ''soulangeana'' ('' Magnolia denudata'' × ''Magnolia liliiflora''), the saucer magnolia, is a hybrid flowering plant in the genus ''Magnolia'' and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in ...

''. Though he is otherwise scarcely remembered today, he played a major role in the organization of professional

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 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, 1815–1845. Born at

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

(

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.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 ...

.Courtois In 1796, he served for a year as secretary to the French embassy to Constantinople, and then fulfilled several administrative functions upon his return to France. In 1807, he was nominated ''Intendant'' in the cabinet of advisors to prince

Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marr ...

, viceroy of Italy, whom he followed in his diplomatic campaigns.

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

conferred upon him the cross of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

'' and that of the Iron Cross. In 1814, Mr. Soulange-Bodin retired to France after the first exile of Napoleon. His Beauharnais service subsequently recommended him for superintendence of the gardens at Empress Josephine's Malmaison. He purchased the 70 hectare château de FromontCourtois. at

Ris-Orangis Ris-Orangis () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Ris-Orangis are known as ''Rissois''. History The commune of Ris-Orangis was created in 1793 by the merger of the com ...

(

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, which gained him the breadth of horticultural experience that informed his publications. He planted an arboretum of exotic trees and amassed a collection of

broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

s, which were at the time little employed in horticulture. He then assembled every new

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

he could find, raising the quality of the gardens to the highest level set by the English at

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

. founded an ''Institut horticole'', which

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Lou ...

declared ''royal'' on the occasion of a state visit in 1829; it dissolved with the Revolution of 1830, but Soulange-Bodin remained a member, and then perpetual secretary of the ''Société royale d'agriculture''. He was a founder of the ''Société d'horticulture de Paris'', and organised the first of the floral expositions at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

(1832). He died at his château of Fromont in 1846. Among his publications are his ''Notice sur une nouvelle espèce de magnolia'' (Paris, 1826), which brought ''M.'' x ''soulangeana'' to wide attention, a ''Discours sur l'importance de l'horticulture'' (Paris, 1826), his annual catalogues of the plants at Fromont, published from 1822, the editing of the ''Annales de l'institut royal horticole de Fromont'' (Paris, 1829-1834), a ''Catalogue des

dahlia Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...

s nains d'origine anglaise'' (Paris, 1831) and a ''Rapport sur le reboisement des montagnes'' (Paris, 1842), recommending afforestation of high slopes too steep for effective agriculture.

Notes

Additional Sources

Quérard, J.M., (1838). La France littéraire, ou Dictionnaire bibliographique des savants..
volume 9: 221
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soulange-Bodin, Etienne French agronomists 1774 births 1846 deaths Scientists from Tours, France French Army officers Military personnel from Tours, France