Barthélemy Charles Joseph Dumortier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barthélémy du Mortier
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| Born | 3 April 1797 Tournai, Batavian Republic
(now Belgium) |
| Died | 9 July 1878 (aged 81) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Dumort. |
Barthélemy Charles Joseph Dumortier (born April 3, 1797, died July 9, 1878) was a very important Belgian scientist and politician. He was known for his work in Botany, which is the study of plants. He also served as a member of the Belgian Parliament for many years.
About Barthélemy Dumortier
Barthélemy Dumortier was born in Tournai. His father, Barthélemy-François Dumortier, was a merchant and a city leader. Barthélemy married Philippine Ruteau. They had a son named Barthélemy-Noël.
Dumortier became involved in politics in the early 1820s. In 1824, he started a newspaper called Courrier de l'Escaut. This paper often criticized the government. In 1830, he supported the Belgian Revolution, which led to Belgium becoming an independent country.
In 1831, he was elected to the first parliament of the new Kingdom of Belgium. He represented his hometown, Tournai, until 1847. After that, he was elected to represent the city of Roulers. He held this position until he passed away. In 1872, he was given the special title of Minister of State.
Dumortier's Work as a Botanist
Barthélemy Dumortier was also a brilliant botanist. In the early 1820s, he published his first writings about plants. In 1827, he released a complete book about the plants of Belgium. This book was called Florula Belgica.
By 1829, many people saw Dumortier as one of the greatest naturalists in the Low Countries. He became a member of the Académie de Bruxelles, a famous scientific group. He studied not only plants but also animals.
In 1835, Dumortier was the first to suggest a new group of plants called Lepidozia. His reputation as a plant expert was so strong that the government asked him to represent them at the Brussels Botanic Garden.
In 1862, the Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique (Royal Botanical Society of Belgium) was created. Dumortier became its president. He had a big dream of creating a state-owned botanic garden in the capital city. He wanted it to be like the famous Royal Kew Gardens.
In 1869, he convinced the Parliament to buy a huge collection of dried plants from a scientist named Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. A few months later, the state also bought the garden of another society. This helped create the National Botanic Garden of Belgium.
Two plant species were named after him:
- Hemerocallis dumortieri (a type of daylily)
- Stenocereus dumortieri (a type of cactus)
Also, in 1863, a group of soil fungi called Mortierella was named in his honor. Later, in 1967, another fungal group, Aquamortierella, was also named after him.
Some people believe that Dumortier was the true discoverer of Cell division, which is how cells multiply. However, he is not always given credit for this important discovery.
Honors
- 1870: He received the Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold. This is a very high honor in Belgium.
See also
- Barthélemy Charles Joseph Dumortier para niños (in Spanish)
- Category:Taxa named by Barthélemy Charles Joseph Dumortier
