Tournefort, Joseph Pitton de (1656–1708)

French botanist who was responsible for defining a genus as a cluster of species and distinguished between the description of a plant and its nomenclature. He wrote Elemens de botanique 1694, though he refused to use a microscope to help him with his botanical research.

Tournefort was born in Aix-en-Provence, France and educated by the Jesuits in classics and science. From 1677, he studied natural history and botany at Montpellier University. He decided to travel throughout France and Spain before his appointment as professor at the Jardin du Roi in Paris 1683. His Schola botanica lecture notes were published 1689, having been prepared for publication by William Sherad. In 1691, he entered the Academie des Sciences. Throughout his life he continued to work as a physician, despite his devotion to botany. He died in Paris 28 November.