Louis Claude Noisette (2 November 1772 – 9 January 1849) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

horticulturist 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 ...

and

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 ...

known for his contribution to the cultivation and hybridization of plants, especially roses. He is the author of ''Le Jardin Fruitier'', a guide on the cultivation and history of

fruit trees A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans. All trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the te ...

with illustrations by

Pancrace Bessa Pancrace Bessa (1 January 1772 – 11 June 1846) was a French natural history artist, best known for his botanical illustrations. Bessa was a student of the great engraver Gerard van Spaendonck and worked alongside Pierre-Joseph Redouté, some of ...

Life and career

Noisette was born in Châtillon, a suburb of

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, to an unnamed mother and his father Joseph Noisette, the

head gardener {{no footnotes, date=July 2020 A head gardener is an individual who manages all horticultural aspects of a property or garden, including staff and volunteers. The properties they manage include historic gardens and private estates, as well as ameni ...

to the

Count of Provence The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

(later King

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

of France). Noisette had two brothers: Antoine Noisette, a botanist who managed the

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. is ...

Nantes, France Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, and Philippe Noisette, an important figure in the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

horticulture scene. After studying at the

Jardin des plantes The Jardin des Plantes (, ), also known as the Jardin des Plantes de Paris () when distinguished from other ''jardins des plantes'' in other cities, is the main botanical garden in France. Jardin des Plantes is the official name in the present da ...

(Paris), Noisette began his career in the French military

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. He worked there for two years before moving into

horticulture 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 ...

at the age of 23. He took over the

Val-de-Grâce The Val-de-Grâce (; Hôpital d'instruction des armées du Val-de-Grâce or HIA Val-de-Grâce) was a military hospital located at 74 boulevard de Port-Royal in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016. History ...

Botanical School after his military service, but it closed down after a few years. From 1795–1798, he was a gardener at Val-de-Grâce. In 1806, he, along with his brothers, set up a botanical facility where they grew a wide variety of plants, with a focus on

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

s. Noisette died on 9 January 1849, at the age of 76.

The Noisette Rose

Noisette is known for his role in developing the

Noisette rose Garden roses are predominantly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. An enormous number ...

(''Rosa'' x ''Noisettiana''). This hybrid rose originated from seeds sent to him by his brother Philippe from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Philippe had crossed a Rosa x 'Old Blush' plant, obtained from Louis Claude, with ''

Rosa moschata ''Rosa moschata'', the musk rose, is a species of rose which has been long in cultivation. Its wild origins are in southern Iran to Afghanistan. Description ''Rosa moschata'' is a shrub growing to . The prickles on the stems are straight or ...

'', resulting in 'Champneys' Pink Cluster'. Louis Noisette subsequently created ' Blush Noisette', the first Noisette rose, by sowing seeds of 'Champney's Pink Cluster'.

Contributions and recognition

Noisette introduced and distributed rare American plants and Indian plants to France. His contributions were recognized in 1840 when he was awarded with the Chevalier of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

Nikolaus II, Prince Esterházy Nicholas II, Prince Esterházy (, ; 12 December 176524 November 1833) was a Hungarian prince. He served the Austrian Empire and was a member of the famous Esterházy family. He is especially remembered for his art collection and for his role as t ...

commissioned him to landscape his estate in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. The genus '' Noisettia'', a small flowering plant native to tropical America, was named in his honor. His publication “
Le Jardin Fruitier
'' (1821), which consisted of 90 hand-coloured engravings of fruit trees, is a source on the cultivation, history, and uses of fruit trees.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noisette, Louis-Claude 1772 births 1849 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour 19th-century French botanists French horticulturists Rose breeders 18th-century French botanists