Christiaan Hendrik Persoon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon
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| Born | February 1, 1761 |
| Died | November 16, 1836 (aged 75) Paris
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| Known for | establishing starting points for fungal taxonomy |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mycology, Taxonomy |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Pers. |
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (born February 1, 1761 – died November 16, 1836) was a famous scientist from the Netherlands. He is best known for his important work studying fungi, like mushrooms. He helped to organize and name many different types of fungi. This work built upon the ideas of another famous scientist, Carl Linnaeus.
Contents
Who Was Christiaan Persoon?
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon was a very important mycologist. A mycologist is a scientist who studies fungi. He helped create the system we use today to name and classify fungi. This system is called taxonomy.
Early Life and Family
Persoon was born in South Africa at a place called the Cape of Good Hope. His father was from a region in Europe called Pomerania. His mother was Dutch. Christiaan was their third child. Sadly, his mother died soon after he was born. When he was thirteen, his father sent him to Europe for his schooling. His father passed away a year later.
His Journey to Education
Christiaan first began studying theology at a university in Halle. This was when he was 22 years old. In 1784, he decided to change his studies. He started learning about medicine at universities in Leiden and Göttingen. He later earned a special degree called a doctorate in 1799.
Life in Paris
In 1802, Persoon moved to Paris, France. He lived there for the rest of his life. He rented a small apartment in a less wealthy part of the city. He spent his later years quietly, focusing on his studies. He often wrote letters to other botanists across Europe. Because he had some money problems, he agreed to give his collection of plants and fungi to the House of Orange-Nassau. In return, they promised to give him money for the rest of his life.
Discovering the World of Fungi
We don't know exactly how Persoon became interested in plants and fungi. But his work became very important.
His Important Books
One of his first books was Abbildungen der Schwämme. This book showed pictures of fungi. It was published in three parts between 1790 and 1793. Later, he wrote a popular book called Synopsis plantarum. This book described about 20,000 different kinds of plants.
However, his most important work was about fungi. He wrote several books on mushrooms and other fungi. His book, Synopsis methodica fungorum (published in 1801), is especially famous. It set the rules for how certain types of fungi are named today. In 1815, he was chosen as a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. This was a great honor.
A Plant Named After Him
A group of small Australian trees and shrubs was named after him. This group of plants is called Persoonia.
See also
In Spanish: Christiaan Hendrik Persoon para niños
