Gustave THURET (1817-1875), botanist, founder of the Villa T - Lot 104

Lot 104
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Gustave THURET (1817-1875), botanist, founder of the Villa T - Lot 104
Gustave THURET (1817-1875), botanist, founder of the Villa Thuret botanical garden in Antibes (in 1858, he had his house built on a 5-hectare plot on Cap d'Antibes), the Mediterranean annex of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Thuret is considered a pioneer in the acclimatization of exotic plants in the southeastern Mediterranean. 13 autograph letters signed to Honoré Ardoïno. 39 pp. in-8. Antibes and Nice, 1862-1866. The correspondence begins after Ardoïno sends him the Catalogue des plantes de Menton et Monaco, and he recalls his stay in Menton and the herborization they did together. He invites her to come to Antibes to the Villa Thuret. "I'd be delighted to offer you hospitality in my little house, and to be able to show you at your leisure the local herbarium I've started. Although it is not yet very rich, you will find some interesting species, for example the Molisceria minuta that Dr. Bornet discovered on the Biot hillsides and which is not yet indicated on your coasts [...]". He acknowledges receipt of his narcissi, mentions the reception of various botanists at the Villa Thuret, returns his catalog with his comments and those of Bornet, and organizes botanical excursions, "Among the plants M. Canut brought back from Menton, I was surprised to see Narcissus biflarus, which he collected in a ravine far from the houses. Is this species really spontaneous here? Mr. Canut also found a beautiful orchid at Le Vinaigrier, which he mistook for Orchis Champagneuscis, but which seems to me to be O. Olbiensis, Reuler. In any case, it's an interesting acquisition for the flora of the Alpes Maritimes [...]. We haven't done any herborizing since your departure. We have only verified the presence of the Gladiolus Byzantinus indicated by M. Gay in our vicinity, and which indeed seems to be found, here and there, mixed with the vulgar species [...]. Dr. Bornet thanks you for your kind regards. He awaits the flowering of his narcissi, of which he has now collected some fifty species or varieties. The Narcissus Panizzianus and Papyrarus, of which Mr. Panizzi was kind enough to send us bulbs two years ago, will flower this year, and we'll finally know what they are [...]". Their collaboration became more and more frequent, with Ardoïno making several trips to Antibes, Bornet and Thuret taking part in Ardoïno's work on local flora, and the two of them herborizing together...
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