Charles Flahault
Charles Henri Marie Flahault (October 3, 1852 – February 3, 1935) was a French botanist, among the early pioneers of phytogeography, phytosociology and forest ecology. The word relevé for a plant community sample is his invention.
Flahault was born in Bailleul, Nord, and received his Baccalauréat de Lettres at Douai in 1872, after which he became a gardener at the Jardin des Plantes de Paris. There he came to the notice of Joseph Decaisne (1807–1882), who gave him private lessons, after which he entered the Sorbonne in 1874 to study in the laboratory of Philippe Van Tieghem (1839–1914), obtaining his doctoral degree in 1878. He continued his studies at Uppsala University in 1879 together with Gaston Bonnier, then in 1881 joined the University of Montpellier where in 1883 he became professor of botany, and in 1890 he founded the Institut de Botanique. He resided in Montpellier until his death, and is buried in that city's Cimetière Saint Lazare.
Flahault was elected member of the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund (1888) and the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala (1905), and an honorary doctor at Uppsala University (1907).
Notable students:
- Josias Braun-Blanquet
Several plant species have been named to his honour.
Read more about Charles Flahault: Works