Louis Claude Richard

It's the anniversary of the death of one of the most eminent botanists of his age: Louis Claude Richard who died on this day in 1821. 

His great grandfather had been in charge of the menagerie at Versailles.
 
His grandfather had been charge of the botanic gardens at Trianon.
 
Even his own father was placed in charge of the King's Garden.
 
A biography of Richard was featured in the international Gazette in 1831. It said:

"Louis Claude Richard was therefore born in the midst of plants; he learned to know them sooner than the letter of the alphabet; and before he was able to write correctly, he could draw flowers or plans of gardens... He did not recollect a moment of his life in which be had not been a botanist; and if he ever engaged in other studies, botany was always the object of them."

In 1781, he was the naturalist to the king.
 
Richard sailed from France to French Guyana. Eight years later, when he returned to France, he brought his herbarium; which contained over 1000 plants.