Posts Tagged ‘Philibert Commerçon’
Jeanne Baret: the first woman circumnavigator and botanical trailblazer
Bougainvillea Today is the birthday of the explorer and botanist Jeanne Baret. Jeanne was the first woman to have circumnavigated the globe as part of the expedition, which was led by Louis Antoine de Bougainville. Beret was able to join the expedition after posing as a valet to the expedition’s naturalist: Philibert Commerçon. Before the…
Read MoreLouis Antoine de Bougainville: Explorer Honored by the Bougainvillea Flower
A Friend of Baret Today is the anniversary of the death of the French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who died on this day in 1729. On Bougainville’s expedition, a woman named Jeanne Baret joined the crew after posing as a valet to the expedition’s naturalist: Philibert Commerçon. Commerçon had terrible health, and…
Read MoreThe Botanical Adventuress Behind Every Great Bougainvillea: The Remarkable Jeanne Baret
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 5, 1807 On this day in our garden history, we bid farewell to a remarkable woman who sailed the seas disguised as a man and discovered flowering vines that now grace gardens…
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