Bougainvillea: The Woman Behind the Discovery | History & Flowers

The story of the discovery by Europeans of bougainvillea – or bougainvillea –, a luxuriant and colorful plant, is closely linked to that of an exceptional woman: the botanist Jeanne Barret, the first woman to have circumnavigated the world, by sail given the time. A feat all the more incredible since, to achieve it, Jeanne Barret had to disguise herself as a man.

Traces of this incredible discovery are now preserved in the herbarium of the Geneva Botanical Garden, as its director Nicola Schönenberger recounted in the audio series “The herbarium tells” of Italian Swiss Radio (RSI).

The incredible story of Jeanne Barret

We are in the second half of the 18th century, a period when Europeans explored the world during epic ocean voyages. Alongside their colonization ambitions, passionate scientists, eager to study the riches of the “New World”, embarked on the expeditions of European navigators.

The scientific community had well understood the abundance of botanical species to collect, catalog and analyze. In France, Philibert Commerson was one of the most active botanists. As a scholar, he settled in Paris and became an active botanist at the Royal Garden of Medicinal Plants, the future National Museum of Natural History.

In the mid-1760s he hired Jeanne Barret as his assistant. Little is known of her early life, except that she enjoyed a strong reputation as an expert on local plants and their medicinal properties, although she had no university degree.

After the death of his wife in 1762, Philibert Commerson settled in Paris, where Jeanne Barret became his governess. Over the years, a deep bond developed between them. It is unknown whether they were also romantically involved, although many historians consider it likely.

The expedition of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville

In 1766, French explorer and navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville invited Philibert Commerson to join an expedition to the Americas as a botanist aboard the ship “L’Etoile” – which joined Bougainville’s ship “La Boudeuse” en route in 1767.

The botanist requested that Jeanne Barret also be allowed to participate in the expedition as an assistant. However, French naval regulations prohibited women from boarding expedition ships. Jeanne Barret was therefore forced to disguise herself as a man and adopt the masculine name “Jean”.

Discovery in Rio

Upon her arrival in Rio de Janeiro, then a Portuguese colony, Jeanne Barret actively participated in the collection of plant specimens. Philibert Commerson quickly noticed that no one in Europe had ever seen the plant we now call bougainvillea, named in honor of the captain of the expedition.

Bougainvillea or bougainvillea). Hand-colored lithograph, drawn by Samuel Holden for Sir Joseph Paxton in the "Magazine of Botany," London, 1838. [Bridgeman Images via AFP]” title=”Buginvillaea spectabilis (Bougainvillea or bougainvillea). Hand-colored lithograph, drawn by Samuel Holden for Sir Joseph Paxton in the "Magazine of Botany," London, 1838. [Bridgeman Images via AFP]” loading=”lazy”/>

With the help of Jeanne Barret, the botanist dried and preserved some specimens. Two of the many original specimens collected around Rio de Janeiro are today preserved at the Geneva Conservatory and Botanical Garden. Although Philibert Commerson received scientific credit (according to the customs of the time), the physical work of collecting and preparing the expedition’s specimens was largely carried out by Jeanne Barret.

A later arrival in Europe

The exact date of the bougainvillea’s arrival in Europe is unknown. Some claim that Jeanne Barret managed to dry seeds and bring them back to Paris, but there is no evidence to support this hypothesis.

Various historical sources instead indicate 1829 as the year of the first cultivation of bougainvillea in Europe, although these sources present contradictory details and official data from herbaria are lacking. The European origins of the plant therefore remain partly uncertain. Today, bougainvillea is common in Mediterranean regions.

Article original:  Simone Pengue (RSI)

French adaptation: Julien Furrer (RTS)