Adanson, Michel (1727–1806)

French botanist who developed a classification system for plants which, unlike Linnaeus's system, was based upon many characteristics rather than just fructification, and brought the two systems into conflict. A genus of African savannah trees, Adansonia, is named after him.

Adanson was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, but his family moved to Paris 1730 and he spent most of his childhood there. He studied at Plessis Sorbonne, the Collége Royal, and the Jardin du Roi. He travelled to Senegal for the Compagnie des Indes and collected numerous plant and animal specimens, many of which he later contributed to Antoine de Jussieu and also to Linnaeus. His classification scheme was outlined in Familles des plantes 1763–64, and he had a wide influence upon contemporary botanists. He was a member of the Legion of Honour and a foreign member of the Royal Society, London.