DE CANDOLLE, de kiix'ded'. AUGUSTIN PY. RA 11 E (1778-18411. A celebrated Swiss botanist. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland, where lie obtained his early education. While still a youth his ability to study and his attainments in litera ture were in marked contrast to his weak con stitution. The gracefulness of his verse led Florian to predict a future for him as a poet. Law and medicine at first attracted him. but his love of plants, which had been aroused in 1792, while lie was living with his mother in a village during the siege of Geneva, and which had been growing, through the influence of Sans sure and especially of Yaucher, led him to adopt the study of botany as his life work. In 1796 he removed to Paris, where his first works. His toria Plantarum Nucculentarum (Paris, 1799), and Astragalogia (Paris, 1802), attracted the attention and gained him the friendship of scien tists. among whom were envier, to whose chair in the College de France he was elected in I502; and Lamarck.. who intrusted to him the publica tion of Fiore Francaise (Paris, IS03-15), in the introduction of which work he elaborates and enforces Jussieu's natural system of plant classi fication as opposed to the Linmean or artificial system. In ISO4 the medical faculty of Paris awarded him the degree of M.D. Beginning with 1806, lie spent six summers in the service of the Government making a botanical and agri cultural survey of the entire country, a report of which appeared in 1513. In 1807 he became' botanist and director of the botanical Braden in the medical faculty of the University of Mont pellier, and three years later was transferred to the newly created chair of botany in the science faculty. During this incumbency he published
Theorie elimentaire de la botaniquc (Montpel lier. 1513; 2d ed. 1519, reprint 1844)—a work that greatly extended his reputation and the popularity of the natural method of plant classi fication. In ISI6 lie accepted the newly founded chair of natural science, and, conjointly with his son, the directorship of the botanical garden at Geneva, which offices he held until 1834, when his son succeeded him. spent the remainder of his in Geneva. In 1824 he commenced the Prod rote us Systematis Regni Pegetabilis (Paris, 1824-74), based upon a former work (Regal Vegetabilis Systema Naturale), which had been planned upon too prodigious a scale for one man to complete, and of which only two vol umes were published. in 1519 and 1821 respec tively. Even of this more condensed work he was able to complete only seven volumes: the re maining fourteen are the work of his son. He published other books and pamphlets, whose value, though considerable. is eclipsed by the worts already mentioned. As a lecturer he exert ed a wide influence and as a citizen was highly esteemed. Among the numerous honors awarded him was the cross of the Legion of Honor, which he received from Louis Philippe.