Antonio José Cavanilles
Antonio José Cavanilles | |
|---|---|
Statue of Cavanilles at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid | |
| Born | 16 January 1745 Valencia, Spain |
| Died | 5 May 1804 (aged 59) Madrid, Spain |
| Known for | Taxonomy of Iberian, South American and Oceanian flora |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Academic advisors | Thouin, Jussieu |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Cav. |
Antonio José Cavanilles (16 January 1745 – 5 May 1804) was a leading Spanish taxonomic botanist, artist and one of the most important figures in the 18th century period of Enlightenment in Spain.
Cavanilles is most famous for his 2-volume book on Spanish flora, published in 1795 and titled ‘Observations on the Natural History, Geography and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Valencia’.He named many plants, particularly from Oceania. He named at least 100 genera, about 54 of which were still used in 2004, including Dahlia, Calycera, Cobaea, Galphimia, and Oleandra. The standard author abbreviation Cav. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.