Jean Michel Claude Richard
Encyclopedia
Jean Michel Claude Richard (August 16, 1787 - 1868) was a noted French
botanist and plant collector active in Senegal
, Madagascar
, Mauritius
, and Réunion
, and a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
.
Richard was born in Volon
, Haute-Saône
. He was sent to Senegal
in 1816 as the colony's gardener-in-chief, but served without obvious distinction until the arrival in 1822 of Baron Jacques-François Roger (1787-1849) who entrusted to Richard the creation of an experimental garden on the left bank of the Sénégal River
, near the village of Nghiao, and named it Richard Toll
(toll means "garden" in the Wolof language
). Richard was responsible for all plants, buildings, and facilities, and under his direction a number of new species were introduced to Senegal, including banana
s, manioc, oranges
, sugar cane, and coffee
. In February 1824 Richard was sent to Cayenne
. Directed on July 30, 1824 to keep a diary of his experiences, he developed a catalog of the garden's species, and left Senegal in 1825.
In January 1831 Richard became second director of the Jardin du Roy (now the Jardin de l'État
) in the Île Bourbon (now Réunion
), succeeding Nicolas Bréon. Under his leadership the garden achieved its golden age. He introduced some 3,000 plant species to the colony, by his reckoning, while studying cryptogams, fern
s, and orchids. He also sent lichen
s from Mauritius
to the German specialist Ferdinand Christian Gustav Arnold
(1828-1901).
In retrospect, Richard's life has been marred by controversy. In 1841, when the young slave Edmond Albius
(1829-1880) discovered the process of artificial insemination
of vanilla
, Richard claimed to have discovered the technique three or four years earlier. His story created serious doubts about Albius' claims, despite the support for Albius of Féréol Marie Bellier de Beaumont (1759-1831), naturalist Eugene Volcy Focard, and Méziaires of Lepervanche. By the end of the 20th century, Albius was considered the true discoverer.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
botanist and plant collector active in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, and Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, and a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Richard was born in Volon
Volon
Volon is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
, Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône is a French department of the Franche-Comté région, named after the Saône River.- History :The department was created in the early years of the French Revolution through the application of a law dated 22 December 1789, from part of the former province of Franche-Comté...
. He was sent to Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
in 1816 as the colony's gardener-in-chief, but served without obvious distinction until the arrival in 1822 of Baron Jacques-François Roger (1787-1849) who entrusted to Richard the creation of an experimental garden on the left bank of the Sénégal River
Sénégal River
The Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
, near the village of Nghiao, and named it Richard Toll
Richard Toll
Richard Toll is a town in northern Senegal, lying on the south bank of the River Senegal, just east of Rosso. Originally a colonial town, it was name for the park of the Chateau de Baron Roger, laid out by botanist Jean Michel Claude Richard. A rice growing scheme was originally initiated by...
(toll means "garden" in the Wolof language
Wolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
). Richard was responsible for all plants, buildings, and facilities, and under his direction a number of new species were introduced to Senegal, including banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, manioc, oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, sugar cane, and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
. In February 1824 Richard was sent to Cayenne
Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
. Directed on July 30, 1824 to keep a diary of his experiences, he developed a catalog of the garden's species, and left Senegal in 1825.
In January 1831 Richard became second director of the Jardin du Roy (now the Jardin de l'État
Jardin de l'État
The Jardin de l'État, formerly known as the Jardin du Roy, is a historic botanical garden on the island of Réunion, found in the capital Saint-Denis....
) in the Île Bourbon (now Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
), succeeding Nicolas Bréon. Under his leadership the garden achieved its golden age. He introduced some 3,000 plant species to the colony, by his reckoning, while studying cryptogams, fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, and orchids. He also sent lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s from Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
to the German specialist Ferdinand Christian Gustav Arnold
Ferdinand Christian Gustav Arnold
Ferdinand Christian Gustav Arnold was a German lichenologist and taxonomist born in Ansbach, Bavaria. Even as a high school student he showed an active interest in botany: "Ich und August Gattinger .....
(1828-1901).
In retrospect, Richard's life has been marred by controversy. In 1841, when the young slave Edmond Albius
Edmond Albius
Edmond Albius was an important figure in the cultivation of vanilla. At the age of 12, he invented a technique for pollinating vanilla orchids quickly and profitably. Albius's technique revolutionized the cultivation of vanilla and made it possible to profitably grow vanilla beans away from their...
(1829-1880) discovered the process of artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
of vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
, Richard claimed to have discovered the technique three or four years earlier. His story created serious doubts about Albius' claims, despite the support for Albius of Féréol Marie Bellier de Beaumont (1759-1831), naturalist Eugene Volcy Focard, and Méziaires of Lepervanche. By the end of the 20th century, Albius was considered the true discoverer.
Note
- Other botanists called Richard are:
- Louis-Claude Marie RichardLouis Claude RichardLouis Claude Marie Richard was a French botanist.Richard was born at Versailles. Between 1781 and 1789 he collected botanical specimens in Central America and the West Indies...
(1754-1821), - Achille RichardAchille RichardAchille Richard was a French botanist and physician .He was son of a notable botanist, Louis-Claude Marie Richard .Pharmacist in the French fleet and member of several well-known societies of their time....
(1794-1852), his son (A.Rich.) - Olivier Jules RichardOlivier Jules RichardOlivier Jules Richard was a French lichenologist who published on the anatomy and symbiosis of lichens. -Publications:• Richard,O J 1884: Les céphalodies des lichens et le Schwendenerisme. Guide scientifique 1884: 4 pp....
(1836-1896) (O.J.Rich.) - Claude Richard fl.(C.Rich)
- Joseph Herve Pierre Richard (J.H.P.Rich.)
- Louis-Claude Marie Richard