Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

– 25 September 1885

Valeyres-sous-Rances Valeyres-sous-Rances (, literally ''Valeyres under Rances'') is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Geography Valeyres-sous-Rances has an area, , of . Of this area, or 81.6% is used for ...

) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

prominent

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 ...

, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierre Butini (1759-1838) a well-known physician and naturalist from Geneva. With his sister, Valérie Boissier (1813-1894), he received a strict education with lessons delivered in Italian and Latin. Edmond's interest in natural history stemmed from holidays in the company of his mother and his grandfather, Pierre Butini at

. His hikes in the Jura and the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

laid the foundation of his zest for later exploration and adventure. He attended a course at the Academy of Geneva given by

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

. Edmond Boissier collected extensively in Europe, North Africa and western Asia, on occasion accompanied by his daughter, Caroline Barbey-Boissier (1847-1918) and her husband,

William Barbey William Barbey (1842–1914) was a Switzerland, Swiss botanist and politician. William Barbey was born on 14 July 1842 at Genthod in the canton of Geneva. He studied science at the Academy in Geneva and then engineering at the École Centrale de ...

(1842-1914), who collected in their own right for their ''Herbier Barbey-Boissier'' in Geneva. Edmond Boissier covered countries such as France, Greece, Italy, Norway,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, Spain,

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

, Switzerland,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, Egypt,

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, Armenia,

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, Jordan,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, Syria and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. His specimens are held at the following herbaria: AK, AWH, B, BERN, BM, BORD, BP, BR, C, CAS, CGE, CN, DBN, E, E-GL, F, FABR, FI, FR, G, GE, GH, GOET, H, HAL, JE, K, KIEL, L, LAU, LE, LY, LZ, M, MA, MANCH,

MEL Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

, MICH, MO, MPU, NY, OXF, P, P-CO, PH, PI, STR, TCD, TO, W, WAG, WB (see

List of herbaria This is a list of active herbaria, organized first by continent where the herbarium is located, then within each continent by size of the collection. The list is based on the Index Herbariorum, a global directory of herbaria and their associated st ...

). He was the first to describe ''

Allochrusa ''Acanthophyllum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae with about 75 species, spread in the Irano-Turanian area. Description Small, shrubby perennial plants with spiny leaves. Flowers white or pink, sessile in solitary ...

'', '' Sclerocephalus'', '' Jancaea'', '' Prolongoa'', '' Psychrogeton'', '' Heteroderis'', '' Myopordon'', '' Aphanopleura'', '' Ammiopsis'', '' Crenosciadium'', ''

Diplotaenia ''Diplotaenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apiaceae. Its native range is Eastern Turkey to Iran. There are many in the Akdoğan Mountains in Muş Muş (; ; ) is a city in eastern Turkey. It is the seat of Muş Provin ...

'', '' Ducrosia'', '' Margotia'', ''

Lisaea Lisaea or Lisaia (), also Lisae or Lisai (), was an ancient Greek polis (city-state) in the Chalcidice, ancient Macedonia. It is cited by Herodotus as one of the cities—together with Lipaxus, Combreia, Gigonus, Campsa, Smila, Aeneia—locate ...

'', '' Ormosciadium'', '' Polylophium'', '' Microsciadium'', '' Rhabdosciadium'', '' Smyrniopsis'', '' Stenotaenia'', '' Thecocarpus'', '' Trigonosciadium'', ''

Rhizocephalus ''Rhizocephalus'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, Poaceae. The only known species is ''Rhizocephalus orientalis'', native to Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Asiatic Turkey, and Uzbek ...

'', '' Coluteocarpus'', '' Diceratella'', '' Didymophysa'', '' Eremobium'', '' Graellsia'', '' Heldreichia'', '' Nasturtiopsis'', ''

Parlatoria ''Parlatoria'' is a genus of scales and mealybugs in the family Diaspididae Diaspididae is the largest family of scale insects with over 2650 described species in around 400 genera. As with all scale insects, the female produces a waxy protec ...

'', ''

Physoptychis ''Physoptychis'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known ...

'', '' Tchihatchewia'', '' Paracaryum'', '' Podonosma'', '' Dorycnopsis'', ''

Erophaca ''Erophaca'' is a monotypic genus of the tribe Galegeae. Its only species, ''Erophaca baetica'', is a perennial plant distributed in disjunct populations in the Mediterranean Region. According to nrDNA ITS analysis, ''Erophaca'' is monophyleti ...

'', ''

Acantholimon ''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a genus of small flowering plants within the plumbago or leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. They are distributed from southeastern Europe to central Asia, and also cultivated elsewhere in rock gardens. Form The ...

'', '' Goniolimon'' and many more plant

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

and

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

Standard author abbreviation

List of selected publications

* * * * * * * *

Eponymy

* The plant

, '' Boissiera'' and also '' Petroedmondia'' (the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

), are named in his honour. * He is honoured in the plant

of; '' Asperula boissieri'', '' Carthamus boissieri'', '' Colchicum boissieri'', ''

Cordia boissieri ''Cordia boissieri'' is a white-flowered, evergreen shrub or small tree in the borage family (Boraginaceae). Its native range extends from southern Texas in the United States south to central Mexico. Common names include anacahuita, Mexican olive ...

'', ''

Convolvulus boissieri ''Convolvulus'' is a genus of about 200 to 250''Convolvulus''.
Flora of China.

'', '' Euphorbia boissieri'', ''

Haplophyllum boissieranum Haplophyllum may refer to: * ''Haplophyllum'' (millipede), a genus of millipedes in the family Julidae Julidae is a family of millipedes in the order Julida, containing more than 600 species in around 20 genera. Its members are largely confined ...

'', ''

Iris boissieri ''Iris boissieri'' (also known as the yellowbeard iris), is a species in the genus '' Iris'', it is also in the subgenus Xiphium. It is from Europe, mainly Spain and Portugal. It has blue-purple (or deep purple) flowers with a yellow beard. Des ...

'', ''

Pyrus boissieriana ''Pyrus boissieriana'', the Boissier pear and telka, is a deciduous tree or large shrub in the family Rosaceae, native to the mountainous woodlands of northern Iran. It is one of the most widespread wild pears in the region, valued for its hardi ...

'', '' Thymus boissieri'', ''

Trifolium boissieri Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversity ...

'' and ''

Verbascum boissieri ''Verbascum'' is a genus of over 450 species of flowering plants, common name mullein (), in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. They are native to Europe and Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean. Mullein or "mullein le ...

''. * As well as; the bacterium '' Acinetobacter boissieri'', the air-breathing

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have gastropod shell, shel ...

s ''

Sphincterochila boissieri ''Sphincterochila'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Sphincterochilidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Sphincterochila Ancey, 1887. Accessed through: World Register of Mari ...

Aceria boissieri ''Aceria'' is a genus of mites belonging to the family Eriophyidae, the gall mites. These tiny animals are parasites of plants. Several species can cause blistering and galls, including erineum galls. A few are economically significant pests, wh ...

'' ( gall mites) and the

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs t ...

'' Bithynia boissieri'' are some of the animal species named after him. * ''Boissiera'' is the title of a collection of systematic botany memoirs published by the Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la Ville de Genève (CJB).

References

External links

*
Historical Orchid LiteratureEssay on Boissier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boissier, Pierre Edmond Botanists with author abbreviations 19th-century Italian botanists 1810 births 1885 deaths Taxon authorities of Hypericum species Scientists from Geneva Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Natural history of Palestine (region) Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities