André Thouin

André Thouin (10 February 1746 – 24 October 1824) was a French botanist born in Paris. His younger brother, Gabriel Thouin (1747–1829), was a noted landscape architect.

He studied botany under Bernard de Jussieu, and in 1793 attained the chair of horticulture at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. He was a good friend of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, and the godfather of Jean Baptiste Lamarck's son Andre. He is denoted by the author abbreviation Thouin when citing a botanical name.

André Thouin

Thouin is remembered for contributions made in the field of agronomy, including scientific studies that involved improved grafting techniques and seed selection. He was a pioneer conservationist, stressing the importance of replacing woodlands to compensate for their destruction due to human encroachment.

The plat genus Thouinia (family Sapindaceae) is named after him. As a taxonomist he described the genus Celanthera (1786; family Marattiaceae).

Selected publications

• Description de l'École d'agriculture pratique du Muséum d'histoire naturelle, (1814).
• Manuel d'arboriculture. Manuel illustré de la culture, de la taille et de la greffe des arbres fruitiers.
• Monographie des greffes, ou Description technique des diverses sortes de greffes employées pour la multiplication des végétaux, (1821).
• Traite des arbres forestiers :ou histoire et description des arbres indigenes ou naturalises... /par M. Jaume Saint-Hilaire. Ouvrage precede d'une instruction sur la culture des arbres, (1824).
• Cours de culture et de naturalisation des végétaux, (1827).

References

• This article incorporates information based on a translation of an equivalent article at the French Wikipedia.