Charles of the Lock

Jules Charles of the Lock (or of Escluse ), Carolus Clusius in his Latin form, born the February 19th 1526 with Arras and dead the April 4th 1609 with Leyde, is a French doctor and botanist réfugié in Flanders (Belgium), one of most famous of the 16th century. He is the creator of the one of the first botanical gardens of Europe in Leyde, and can be regarded as the first Mycologue in the world and the founder of the Horticulture. He is also the first required really scientific descriptions of the plants.

He starts his studies of right to Ghent then at the university of Leuwen. In 1548, it leaves for Marbourg, before going to Wittenburg to follow the teaching of Melanchthon in 1549. On the councils of this one, it gives up the right for the study of medicine and botany. In 1551, it studies botany with Montpellier under the direction of the famous doctor Guillaume Rondelet, who lodges it at his place lasting three years, in the capacity as secretary.

Into 1557, it translates into French the herbarium of Rembert Dodoens: History of the plants .

His completed studies, Charles of the Lock occupies of the varied functions. In 1573, the emperor Maximilien II appoints it doctor of court and person in charge of the imperial garden. Thanks to this protection, it can travel in all the Europe, gathers many observations and joins together many specimens of plants, certain arrivals of remote regions as the Tulipe (which it introduces with the Netherlands) and the Potato. With died of its guard, it must leave Vienna after having spent 14 years there.

In 1576, Lock makes appear a Flore of Spain ( Rariorum aliquot stirpium per Hispanias observatarum historia ) followed in 1583 of the description of the plants of Austria and areas close ( Rariorum aliquot stirpium, per Pannoniam, Austriam, & vicinas quasdam provincias observatarum historia ).

In 1587, it founds the botanical garden ( hortus botanicus ), different from the medicinal Jardin ( hortus medicus ), at the university of Leyde. It cultivates rare plants there coming from Europe of the south, of Spain, the Portugal, Hungary. At this same university, it obtains the post of professor of botany (1593) which it will occupy until its death.

Lock publishes an important treaty of botany and Mycologie, Rariorum plantarum historia: Fungorum in Pannoniis observatorum brevia historia (1601), illustrated by more than thousand engravings and where it tries to gather the species by affinities. Its observations are remarkably precise. It is, undoubtedly, the first botanist to establish truly scientific diagnoses. It describes, for the first many time species as the Marronnier (which it introduces in Holland), the Jasmin and the Aralia. This work constitutes moreover the first large mycologic monograph and the first regional flora of Champignon S. Clusius gives to it the description of 105 mushroom species of Hungary, including 45 edible.

In 1605, it makes appear Exoticorum libri decem where it wishes to describe all the exotic species, animal or vegetable, that it can obtain. Living in Leyde, it occupies a choice place to obtain, vessels which arrive at the Netherlands, of the specimens. Its book describes many new species: the Casoar (of the kind Casuarius ), the Penguin of Magellan ( Spheniscus magellanicus ), the Parrot with a grid ( Deroptyus accipitrinus ), the Lori will noira ( Lorius garrulus ), the red Ibis ( Eudocimus ruber ) and well of others. It describes also the Grand penguin ( Pinguinus impennis ) of which it receives, in 1604, a specimen with other species, of Henrik Højer which explores the islands Féroé.

The botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704) dedicated the kind to him Clusia of the family of the Clusiaceae.

External bonds

Works of Charles of the Lock digitized by the SCD of [[University Louis Pasteur] of Strasbourg] the
Biography
the botanical garden of Leyde

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