Nicolas Joseph Thiéry de Ménonville
Nicolas Joseph Thiéry de Ménonville (born June 18, 1739 in Saint-Mihiel , † 1780 in Port-au-Prince ) was a French botanist .
Life
The trained lawyer turned to botany and was sent to Mexico and South America by his government in 1776 . He was supposed to spy out the secret of the cochineal dye , which was closely guarded by the Spaniards . In Oaxaca he pretended to be a Catalan doctor . He succeeded in transporting opuntia leaves and cochineal whitefish ( Dactylopius coccus ) home.
In Port-au-Prince he successfully reproduced insects and plants. His death in 1780 prevented the plan to plant opuntia in the French colonies.
Works
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- Gordon Douglas Rowley : A History of Succulent Plants . Strawberry Press, Mill Valley CA 1997, ISBN 0-912647-16-0 .
- Victoria Finlay: The Secret of Colors. A cultural story . List Tb., 2005. ISBN 3-548-60496-X
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thiéry de Ménonville, Nicolas Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French botanist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 18, 1739 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saint-Mihiel |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1780 |
| Place of death | Port-au-Prince |