Auguste Plée (31 August 1788 – 14 March 1825) was a French naturalist and botanist known for his botanical explorations in the Caribbean during the early 19th century. In botanical literature, his author abbreviation is “Plée”.
Early Life and Education
Born in Paris, France. Details about his family background and formal education are not extensively documented in mainstream encyclopedic sources.
Career
Plée served as a naturalist‑collector, undertaking field expeditions to several islands in the Caribbean, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint‑Domingue (present‑day Haiti), and Puerto Rico. During these voyages he gathered plant specimens, seeds, and other natural history material, many of which were later deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris.
He was associated with the French navy, which facilitated his travel and collection activities in the West Indies. The precise nature of his official position (e.g., naval officer, surgeon, or civilian naturalist) is not clearly specified in widely available encyclopedic records.
Contributions to Botany
- Specimen Collection: Plée’s collections contributed to the early botanical knowledge of Caribbean flora. Several species described from his material bear the author citation “Plée”.
- Publications: He authored a short descriptive work titled Essai sur les plantes de la Guadeloupe (published posthumously, 1829). The text includes morphological descriptions and vernacular names of selected Caribbean plant species.
Legacy
Plée’s botanical specimens remain valuable reference material for taxonomic studies of Caribbean plants. His author abbreviation “Plée” continues to be used in botanical nomenclature to credit him for species he described.
References
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Author details for “Plée”.
- Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris: Collection catalogues referencing Auguste Plée’s specimens.
- Essai sur les plantes de la Guadeloupe (1829), edited and published after his death.
Note: The above information reflects the currently verifiable encyclopedic data on Auguste Plée. Further biographical specifics are limited in mainstream sources.
