Joseph Decaisne (7 March 1807 – 8 January 1882) was a French botanist and agronomist. He became an ''aide-naturaliste'' to

Adrien-Henri de Jussieu Adrien-Henri de Jussieu (23 December 1797 – 29 June 1853) was a French botanist. Born in Paris as the son of botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1824 with a treatise of the plant family Eupho ...

(1797-1853), who served as the chair of rural

botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), 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 "bot ...

. It was during this time that he began to study plants brought back by various travelers like those of Victor Jacquemont (1801-1832) from Asia. Decaisne used

applied research Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

, most notably on the

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and s ...

of the madder, the

yam Yam or YAM may refer to: Plants and foods *Yam (vegetable), common name for members of ''Dioscorea'' * Taro, known in Malaysia and Singapore as yam * Sweet potato, specifically its orange-fleshed cultivars, often referred to as yams in North Amer ...

and the ramie. He was also interested in

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

Biography

Although born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium, he exercised his activity exclusively 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. ...

. He entered in 1824 as a gardener 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 loca ...

'' (French museum of natural history) and became, in 1832, head of the ''carré des semis'' section. He also worked at the '' Jardin des Plantes'' and collaborated with

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His '' Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually ex ...

. In 1847 he chaired Statistical Agriculture department in the College de France. In 1850, Decaisne followed

Charles-François Brisseau de Mirbel Charles-François Brisseau de Mirbel (27 March 1776 – 12 September 1854) was a French botanist and politician. He was a founder of the science of plant cytology. A native Parisian, at the age of twenty, he became an assistant-naturalist wit ...

(1776-1854) as the chair of

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 ...

at the Museum. In 1854 he participated in the creation of the '' Société botanique de France''. The genera '' Decaisnea'' Hook.f. & Thomson (Lardizabalaceae), ''Decaisnea'' Brongn.

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

of '' Prescottia'' Lindl., '' Decaisnina'' Tiegh. ( Loranthaceae), '' Decaisnella'' (

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of fungi in the family Massariaceae,) and ''Decaisnea'' Lindl. syn. of '' Tropidia'' Lindl. (

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

), were named in his honour. He died in Paris on 8 January 1882.

Contributions to plant taxonomy

He described the following genera of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s: ''Capanea'' (now part of '' Kohleria'') and '' Chrysothemis'' of the family

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Gesnerioideae), wit ...

; '' Sautiera'' (

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in ...

); '' Lepinia'', '' Rhazya'' (

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of the ...

); ''

Vancouveria ''Vancouveria'' () is a small group of plants belonging to the barberry family described as a genus in 1834. The three plants in this genus are known generally as inside-out flowers, and they are endemic to the West Coast of the United States. T ...

'' (with C.Morren) (

Berberidaceae The Berberidaceae are a family of 18 genera of flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 700 known species, of which the majority are in '' Berberis''. The species ...

); '' Ostryopsis'' (

Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of ...

); ''

Dipterygium ''Cleome'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cleomaceae, commonly known as spider flowers, spider plants, spider weeds, or bee plants. Previously, it had been placed in the family Capparaceae, until DNA studies found the Cleomaceae ge ...

'' ( Capparidaceae); ''

Brassaiopsis ''Brassaiopsis'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Araliaceae. There are about 45 species, distributed in Asia from the Himalaya through China, Vietnam, Thailand to Indonesia. Species Species include: *''Brassaiopsis aculeata'' (Buch.-Ham. ex D ...

'', ''

Cuphocarpus ''Cuphocarpus'' is an obsolete genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. Mabberley (2008) treated it as a synonym of '' Polyscias'',David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Pre ...

''*, '' Dendropanax''*, '' Didymopanax''*, '' Fatsia''*, '' Oreopanax''*, ''

Stilbocarpa ''Stilbocarpa'' is a genus of flowering plant most often placed in the family Araliaceae; it might be closer to the Apiaceae however. It comprises 3 species, two of which are endemic to New Zealand, while one is also found on Australia's suban ...

''*, (* with Planch.) (

Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguisha ...

); '' Berneuxia'' ( Diapensiaceae); ''

Scyphogyne Erica or ERICA may refer to: * Erica (given name) * ''Erica'' (plant), a flowering plant genus * Erica (chatbot), a service of Bank of America * ''Erica'' (video game), a 2019 FMV video game * ''Erica'' (spider), a jumping spider genus * Eric ...

'' ( Ericaceae); '' Akebia'', '' Boquila'' ( Lardizabalaceae); '' Galtonia'' (

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a f ...

s.l. or Hyacinthaceae); '' Treculia'' Decne. ex Trecul (

Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however ...

; ''

Camptotheca ''Camptotheca'' (happy tree, cancer tree, or tree of life) is a genus of medium-sized deciduous trees growing to tall, native to southern China and Tibet. The genus is usually included in the tupelo family Nyssaceae, but sometimes included (w ...

'' ( Nyssaceae or

Cornaceae The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, '' Alangium'' and '' Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, ...

); '' Ephippiandra'' ( Monimiaceae); '' Pseudais'' ( Thymelaeaceae); '' Allardia'', ''

Lecocarpus ''Lecocarpus'' is a plant genus in the family Asteraceae, native to Galápagos Islands, part of Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecua ...

'', '' Wollastonia''

DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

ex Decne. (

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

); '' Gymnotheca'' (

Saururaceae Saururaceae is a plant family comprising four genera and seven species of herbaceous flowering plants native to eastern and southern Asia and North America. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists, and is sometimes known as the "lizar ...

); '' Bougueria'' (

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older ...

); '' Docynia'' ( Rosaceae); '' Seetzenia'' R.Br. ex Decne.( Zygophyllaceae); ''

Deherainia ''Deherainia'' is a genus of plants in the family Primulaceae, endemic to Central America. Species * '' Deherainia cubensis'' * '' Deherainia lageniformis'' * '' Deherainia matudae'' * '' Deherainia matudai'' * '' Deherainia smaragdina'' ...

'' ( Theophrastaceae); ''

Lopholepis ''Lopholepis'' is a genus of South Asian plants in the grass family. The only known species is ''Lopholepis ornithocephala'', native to Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ...

'' ( Poaceae); '' Asterostemma'', ''

Atherandra ''Atherandra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apocynaceae. Its native range is Indo-China to Western Malesia. Species: *'' Atherandra acutifolia'' References {{Taxonbar, from=Q5710750 Apocynaceae Apocynaceae ...

'', '' Baeolepis'' Decne. ex Moq., ''

Barjonia ''Barjonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1844. They are native to South America.Wood, J. R. I., F. Mamani M., P. Pozo, J. D. Soto & D. Villarroel Segarra. (eds.) 2011. Guía Darwin de la ...

'', '' Blepharodon'', ''

Calostigma ''Oxypetalum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described with this name in 1810. The genus is native to South America.Funk, V. A., P. E. Berry, S. Alexander, T. H. Hollowell & C. L. Kelloff. 2007. Checklist of the ...

'', ''

Camptocarpus ''Camptocarpus'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apocynaceae. Its native range is Western Indian Ocean. Species: *'' Camptocarpus acuminatus'' *'' Camptocarpus cornutus'' *'' Camptocarpus crassifolius'' *'' Camptocarp ...

'', '' Decabelone'', ''

Decanema ''Decanema'' is a small genus in the dogbane family Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, be ...

'', '' Dictyanthus'', ''

Glossonema Glossonema is a plant genus in the family Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, ...

'', '' Gongronema'' (Endl.) Decne., '' Harpanema'', '' Hemipogon'', ''

Hoodia ''Hoodia'' (; known locally as "ghaap" or "bobbejaanghaap") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, under the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, native to Southern Africa. One species of ''Hoodia'' in particular, '' Hoodia gordonii' ...

'' Sweet ex Decne., '' Ibatia'', '' Macropetalum'' Burch. ex Decne., '' Melinia'', ''

Mitostigma ''Mitostigma'' is a genus of plants in the Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1844. It contains only one accepted species, ''Mitostigma castillonii'', native to Jujuy Province in northwestern ArgentinaPontiroli, A. 1983. Asclepiadaceae. 1 ...

'', '' Nautonia'', ''

Nephradenia ''Nephradenia'' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1844. They are native to South America.Hokche, O., P. E. Berry & O. Huber. (eds.) 2008. Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela 1–860. Fu ...

'', ''

Orthosia ''Orthosia'' is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae erected by Ferdinand Ochsenheimer in 1816. Species Former species * ''Orthosia johnstoni'' McDunnough, 1943 is now a synonym of ''Perigonica pectinata'' (Smith, 888 888 or triple eight ...

'', ''

Pentopetia ''Pentopetia'' is a plant genus in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1844.Choux, P. 1931. Asclepiadaceae. Catalogue des Plantes de Madagascar, Asclepiadaceae 1(9): 5–24. The genus should not be confused with the related gen ...

'', '' Peplonia'', ''

Periglossum ''Periglossum '' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1844. It is native to southern Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both ...

'', ''

Pherotrichis ''Pherotrichis'' is a plant genus in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1838. It is native to Mexico and Arizona. ;Species # '' Pherotrichis leptogenia'' B.L.Rob. - Jalisco # '' Pherotrichis mixtecana'' Brandegee - Oaxaca # ' ...

'', ''

Polystemma ''Polystemma'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1844. It is native to Mexico and Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boun ...

'', ''

Ptycanthera ''Ptycanthera'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apocynaceae. Its native range is Cuba to Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is a ...

'', ''

Pycnoneurum ''Cynanchum'' is a genus of about 300 species including some swallowworts, belonging to the family (biology), family Apocynaceae. The taxon name comes from Greek language, Greek ''kynos'' (meaning "dog") and ''anchein'' ("to choke"), hence the co ...

'', '' Pycnostelma'' Bunge ex Decne., ''

Rhyssostelma ''Rhyssostelma'' is a species of plants in the family Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1844. It contains only one known species, ''Rhyssostelma nigricans'', endemic to Argentina. References {{Taxonbar, from1=Q6107852, from2=Q156136 ...

'', '' Riocreuxia'', ''

Tacazzea ''Tacazzea'' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described in 1890. It is native to Africa. ;Species ;formerly included moved to other genera ('' Buckollia'', ''Petopentia'') # ''Tacazzea natalensis'' N.E.Br., synonym of '' ...

'', '' Tassadia'', ''

Trichosandra ''Trichosandra'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apocynaceae. Its native range is Mascarenes The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagas ...

'' (

Asclepiadaceae The Asclepiadoideae are a subfamily of plants in the family Apocynaceae. Formerly, they were treated as a separate family under the name Asclepiadaceae, e.g. by APG II, and known as the milkweed family. They form a group of perennial herbs, tw ...

or Apocynaceae s.l.); ''

Amorphophallus ''Amorphophallus'' (from Ancient Greek , "without form, misshapen" + ''phallos'', "penis", referring to the shape of the prominent spadix) is a large genus of some 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the ''Arum'' family ...

'' Blume ex Decne. (

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). ...

) and '' Leptopus'' (

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...

s.l. or

Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae.Kenneth J. Wurdack and Charles C. Davis. 2009. "Malpighiales phylogenetics: Gaining ground on one of the ...

Works

* ''Le jardin fruitier du Museum'' (The fructiferous garden of the Museum) in 9 volumes (1858-1875) * ''Traité général de botanique descriptive et analytique'' (General Treatise of descriptive and analytic botany), Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1876 n collaboration with Emmanuel Le Maout">Emmanuel_Le_Maout.html" ;"title="n collaboration with Emmanuel Le Maout">n collaboration with Emmanuel Le MaoutEnglish edition 1873. * ''Mexicanas plantas'' (Plants of Mexico, 1872-1886 [in collaboration with others].
available at Botanicus.org

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Decaisne, Joseph 1807 births 1882 deaths Scientists from Paris 19th-century French botanists French agronomists Members of the French Academy of Sciences Botanists active in Europe Botanists with author abbreviations Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Members of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences Foreign Members of the Royal Society Burials at Montmartre Cemetery