George Post was a Calvinist by theological bent and may have been strongly influenced by the Second Great Awakening which began in his home town of New York. It is therefore particularly interesting, albeit perhaps coincidental, that he looked to the Herbier Boissier, now part of the Botanical Garden of Geneva, for help in his research on plants of the Levant.
The prominent family of botanists, de Candolle, were Hugenots from southern France who fled to Geneva to avoid persecution by French authorities. Their house and original botanical garden were located near St Peter’s Cathedral, Calvin’s church. The present herbarium in Geneva, one of the largest in the world, combines the herbaria of the de Candolles, Boissier, and other botanical luminaries. The collections of Henri Pabot and Paul Mouterde (author of the most recent flora of Lebanon) are also in the Geneva collection.
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Calvin In Geneva |
Geneva looking from the lake
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The building which housed the Boissier Herbarium. |
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Plants of Lebanon and Syria
Lytton John Musselman | Department of Biological Sciences | College of Sciences
© 2004 Old Dominion University
Last Reviewed: April 8, 2004 10:42
The contents of this communication are the sole responsibility of Lytton John Musselman and
do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of Old Dominion University.