Casimiro Gómez Ortega facts for kids
Casimiro Gómez de Ortega was an important Spanish doctor and plant expert. He lived from 1741 to 1818. He was born in Añover de Tajo, Spain, and passed away in Madrid. He is best known for being the first professor at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid.
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Casimiro Gómez de Ortega: A Spanish Botanist
Casimiro Gómez de Ortega was a talented physician (doctor) and botanist (plant scientist). He played a key role in the world of science in Spain. His work helped people learn more about plants from around the globe.
Building the Royal Botanical Garden
Under the rule of King Charles III of Spain, Gómez de Ortega helped create the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. This garden was a special place. Its main purpose was to collect and study new kinds of plants. These plants were being found by European explorers. Many of these explorers traveled to distant lands.
Discovering New Plants
Gómez de Ortega wrote many books and papers about plant species. He also studied the "economic botany" of plants. This means he looked at how plants could be useful to people. He studied plants collected during Spanish trips to South America.
He identified and described several new groups of plants, called genera. These include:
- Echeandia (part of the Anthericaceae family)
- Maurandya (part of the Plantaginaceae family)
- Pascalia (part of the Asteraceae family)
- Sesamoides (part of the Resedaceae family)
Honored by Science
A special tree from Chile was named after him. This tree is called Gomortega. It is an endemic tree, meaning it is found only in Chile. In 1777, Casimiro Gómez de Ortega was also chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very respected group of scientists in England.
