Detail author

CLUSIUS Carolus - France - 1526 - 1609

CLUSIUS Carolus Carolus Clusius was born in Arras, in Flemish territory, and completed his studies at Montpellier. His family underwent religious persecutions that reduced them to poverty, but he managed nonetheless to study numerous languages and various disciplines. Despite some serious maladies, Clusius lived a long life dedicating himself to the advancement of the botanical sciences.

Main work: Antidotarium, Anversa, Plantin, 1561.

Botanical interests: As a result of his competence acquired in the Iberian peninsula, he worked in the gardens of Vienna, studying and preparing materials for his books on plants. An authoritative botanist, his writings helped to spread the providential potato just imported from America as well as some trees such as the horse chestnut and laurel. He promoted the cultivation of lilacs and tulips all over Europe, particularly in Holland, helping to lay the foundation for the "Tulipmania" of the following centuries. His works include: Petit recueil (1557), Rariorum aliquot stirpium... (1576), Antidotarium (1561), Exoticorum libri decem (1605).