> [!cite] BHL link: this entry starts at [page 484](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33333623) of TL-2 Vol. V > Author links: [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/a/9426-1) LSID 9426-1, [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1360507) QID Q1360507 > Support pages: [[Abbreviations|abbreviations]], [[Layout key|layout key]], [[Cite TL-2|cite TL-2]] ### Author Séguier, Jean François (1703-1784), French botanist, historian, bibliographer and archeologist at Nîmes; studied law at Montpellier and botany at Paris with Antoine de Jussieu; accompanied the archeologist Francesco Scipione on his European travels 1732-1736, visiting e.g. Holland (Boerhaave, J.F. Gronovius, G.P. van Swinden); to Verona with Scipione 1736-1755; at Nîmes 1755-1784 working mainly on archeology. **Abbreviated name**: *Séguier* \[standard form in IPNI: *Ség.*\] #### Herbarium and types Municipal library (Bibliothèque Séguier) Nîmes, France; further material in [[Collection LINN|LINN]] (Monte Carlo, nr Verona), [[Collection M|M]] (types Monte Baldo), and [[Collection P|P]] (via Pourret). Manuscripts also at Bibl. Séguier, Nîmes; correspondence ib. 17 vols. Other letters at [[Collection G|G]]. #### Bibliography and biography AG 5(1): 776, 12(3): 552; Backer p. 525, 568; Barnhart 3: 256 (b. 25 Nov 1703, d. 1 Sep 1784); BM 4: 1894; Bossert p. 359; Dryander 3: 7, 147-148; DTS 1: 278; Frank 3 (Anh.): 95; GR p. 351; Hegi 3: 327, 570, 4(2): 604, 5(1): 177, 5(2): 1318; Henrey 2: 84n., 86; Herder p. 75, 180; Hortus 3: 1204; HU 525; Jackson p. 1, 323; Kelly p. 211; Lasègue p. 321, 336, 337, 341, 358; LS 24581a; NI 1829; Plesch p. 403; PR 1081, 3609, 8586-8591, ed. 1: 3921; Rehder 5: 792; Saccardo 1: 152, 2: 100, cron. p. xxxiii; SK 1: cxvii; SO 632b, 3613; Sotheby 691; TL-1/1222-1223; TL-2/4230, see P.J. Bergius; Zander ed. 10, p. 716, ed. 11, p. 816. #### Biofile - Amoreux, P.J., Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 1: 697-702. 1822 (corr. Gouan-Séguier). - Anon., Brit. Mus. gen. cat. print. books 218: 430-431. 1964; Cat. gén. livr. impr. Bibl. natl. 169: 873-874. 1946. - Candolle, Alph. de, Phytographie 450. 1880. - Chardon-la-Rochette, M., Mag. encycl. 1805(6): 349-353 (lettre... sur les manuscrits de J.F. Séguier). - Dacier, Giorn. Lett., Pisa 66: 304-306. 1787 (éloge; n.v.). - Dandy, J.E., Regn. veg. 51: 18-19. 1967 (generic names in Pl. Veron. suppl.). - Desgenettes, R., Dict. sci. méd., Biogr. méd. 7: 192-194. 1825. - Fisquet, H., *in* Hoefer, ed., Nouv. biogr. gen. 43: 702-703. 1867. - Fries, Th.M., Bref Skrifv. Linné 1(3): 68. 1909, 1(5): 11, 247. 1911, 1(6): 235. 1912, and J.M. Hulth, 1(7): 134. 1917. - Hulth, J.M., Bref Skrifv. Linné 2(1): 21, 22, 23. 1916, and A.H. Uggia 2(2): 89, 90. 1943. - Jackson, B.D., Proc. Linn. Soc. 134 (suppl.): 19. 1922 (alpine plants Monte Baldo at LINN). - Johnson, D.F., Huntia 3(2): 113-114. 1979 (reviews Bibl. bot.). - Lowden, R.M., Taxon, Index pers. names 657. 1984. - Martins, Ch., Le Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier 32. 1854. - Martius, C.F.P., Flora 34: 4. 1851 (pl. Monte Baldo at M). - Poggendorff, J.C., Biogr.-lit. Handw.-Buch 2: 894. 1863. - Saccardo, P.A., Malpighia 17: 272. 1902 (mentions a handwritten Index Linnaeanus *in* J.F. Seguieri Methodicam synopsin stirpium quae in agro Veronensi reperiuntur, dated Paris 1798, 138 p.). - SI-D., *in* J.Fr. Michaud, Biogr. univ. 38: 666-667. 1854f. - Stafleu, F.A., Linnaeus and the Linnaeans 272-273. 1971; Séguier and botanical bibliography (unpublished mss., based on notes taken from S.'s mss. and corr. at Nîmes). - Stieber, M.T. et al., Huntia 4(1): 86. 1981 (arch. mat. HU). - Verdoorn, F., ed., Chron. bot. 1: 337. 1935. - Wittrock, V.B., Acta Horti Berg. 3(2): 117. 1903 (on portr.). #### Eponymy *Seguiera* O. Kuntze (1891); *Seguieria* Loefling (1758). #### Handwriting S. Savage, Cat. Linn. herb. fig. 24. 1945. ### Publications ##### n.11.624. Bibliotheca botanica **Title** *Bibliotheca botanica*, sive catalogus auctorum et librorum omnium qui de re botanica, de medicamentis ex vegetabilibus paratis, de re rustica, & de horticultura tractant, a Joanne Francisco Seguierio nemausense digestus. Accessit Bibliotheca botanica Jo. Ant. Bumaldi, seu potius Ovidii Montalbani bononiensis... Hagae-Comitum \['s Gravenhage; the Hague\] (apud Joannem Neaulme) 1740. Qu. **Abbreviated title**: *Bibl. bot.* **Notes** *Publ*.: 1740, p. \[1\]-16, \[1\]-450, \[Montalbani:\] \[1\]-66. *Copies*: B-S, FI, G, HH, M, MICH, MO, NY, PH; IDC 5740. *T.p. Montalbanus*: "*Bibliotheca botanica*, seu herbaristarum scriptorum promota synodia; cui accessit individualis graminum omnium ab auctoribus hucusque observatorum numerosissima nomenclatura, Jo. Antonio Bumaldo bonon. collectore: primùm Bononiae, typis heredum Benatii, anno 1657 impressa, nunc iterùm edita". Hagae-Comitum (apud Joannem Neaulme) 1740. Qu. See *note* (*2*) below. *Supplement*: see below, *pl. veron.* 2, 1745, additional item, p. \[1\]-79. *Other ed*.: 1760, p. \[1\]-16, \[1\]-450, Montalbani 1-62, 55-66, Gronovius: \[i, iii\], 1-65, \[1-7\] consists of the following: *Séguier*: *Bibliotheca botanica*, sive... bononiensis nec non auctuarium in bibliothecam botanicam cl. Seguierii opera Laur. Theod. Gronovii... Lugduni Batavorum \[Leiden\] (apud Cornelium Haak) 1740 \[err. for 1760\]. Qu., p. \[1\]-16, \[1\]-450. *Montalbani*: Bibliotheca botanica, seu herbaristarum... edita. Lugduni Batavorum (apud Cornelium Haak) 1760. Qu., p. \[i, iii\], 1-62, 55-66. *Gronovius*: *Auctuarium in bibliothecam botanicam*, antehac a clariss. viro, botanico eximio d.d. Joanne Francisco Seguierio, conscriptam & editam prolatum a Laur. Theod. Gronovius... Lugduni Batavorum (apud Cornelium Haak) 1760. Qu., p. \[i, iii\], 1-65, \[1-7\]. – Laurens Theodoor Gronovius (1730-1777). *Copies*: B-S, BR, FI, HH, HU, NY, PH. *Supplement to Bibl. bot*.: see below, Séguier, *Pl. veron*., 2, 1745, as additional item, p. \[1\]-79. *Reviews* of 1740 issue, Commercium litterarium 1741: 137-139, 145-152, 159-160, Neue Zeit. gel. Sach. 1740(2) (97): 867-869. 5 Dec 1740, Ber. neu. gel. Sach. Hamburg 10(33): 279-280. 28 Apr 1741; Comm. Lit. Rei med. sci. nat. Incr. 1741(18): 127-139. 3 Mai 1741, (19): 145-152. 10 Mai 1741, (20): 159-160. 17 Mai 1741 (see D.E. Johnson, Huntia 3(2): 113-114. 1979). *Note* (1) on Seguier's *Bibliotheca botanica*. Séguier quotes with approval the bipartite division of botanical publications made by Tournefort in his *Institutiones* (ed. 3, 1719): the works dealing with botany proper and those dealing with the medicinal uses of plants. Those two categories are dealt with in the first and second parts of the *Bibliotheca*, but the "vires" were taken very narrowly, and a third part dealing with horticulture and agriculture was necessary. In addition to this there is a forty-page *Index rerum* which is singularly impractical because the reference is only to authors' names and not to pages, or even to the three main parts. The bibliography includes not only books and other independent bibliographical productions, but also references to publications in the periodical literature. Haller (1771-1772) and Dryander (1798-1800) later did the same, thus obviating the need for a special catalogue of botanical publications in the periodical literature of the eighteenth century. Almost all entries are quite detailed. The authors' names are followed by brief indications of profession and nationality (usually taken from Montalbanus, Tournefort or Jussieu) and Séguier frequently provides in the margin, in minute print. abbreviated references to biographical literature. The entries for the publications contain usually the title fully transcribed and in the original language, the place of publication, the publisher, the size (although not the number of pages) and sometimes a critical commentary and an indication of the location where he saw the book or found a reference to it. These statements of location are obviously of great importance because they will very often allow us at once to identify the library where the publications are presently located; an item of information of capital value for many of these rare books. A further interesting and especially useful feature is again the provision of marginal notes giving relevant references to reviews, publications, comments or other secondary publications relevant to the main entry. These references are often to the main secondary literature of Séguier's time, e.g. to the *Acta eruditorum*, published at Leipzig (50 vols., 1682-1732), the *Journal des Sçavans*, the *Giornale de' Letterati* (Venice). The first two parts of the *Bibiotheca botanica* are not provided with introductions. Séguier explains in his preface (p. 5) that Tournefort's *Isagoge* is sufficient introduction to the subject. For the third part, however, he provides an introduction on the early development of the literature on horticulture and agriculture. The coverage of the book is excellent, due to the fact that Séguier saw an unusual number of libraries on his European tour. He furthermore consulted as many catalogues of private libraries as possible. With the major Paris and London libraries accounted for, with the information obtained from Gronovius in Holland, and with his careful scanning of the literature, Séguier achieved a very high degree of coverage. The system of cross-references is good and special attention is given to contributions by one author to the work of a second. A letter from C.P. van Swinden at the Hague to Séguier, dated 23 September 1740, now at Nîmes, makes it clear that van Swinden acted as an intermediary between Séguier and the publisher. Séguier had sent some *errata* but van Swinden says that they arrived too late to be incorporated. The work was not only ready at the time he wrote his letter, but quite a few copies had already been distributed. Van Swinden advises Séguier to keep them for a second edition, or for an appendix. "Comme les livres de Botanique s'augmentent tous les jours aussi bien que ceux des autres sciences il y a apparence que vous ne manquerez pas d'initiatives". He adds that complimentary copies have been sent to various scientists, among them Sloane, Burman and Gronovius. The proofs had been read by himself and by a physician from the Hague who is not mentioned by name. Reviews and announcements of the *Bibliotheca botanica* in the contemporary periodical literature are relatively scarce, (see above, *Reviews*). The *Commercium litterarium* of 1741 gives a lengthly "review" on 3, 10 and 17 May 1741, mainly consisting of an enumeration of titles followed by criticism of some details. It ends with the somewhat enigmatic statement on the differences between the bibliographies of Linnaeus and Séguier: "Thus our attempt surpassed that of Linnaeus; in the same way someone else will correct our own shortcomings". A second "edition" of the *Bibliotheca botanica* was published in Leiden by Cornelius Haak in 1760. This is actually a reissue of the old sheets with a new title-page and with the addition of Gronovius' *Auctuarium*. The bibliography of Séguier's book has been complicated by the fact that the main title-page of this reissue (Leiden) carries the date 1740 rather than 1760; this is evidently an error, because the Montalbanus item and the Gronovius *Auctuarium*, which are bound with the reissue, both carry the correct date. The main title-pages can easily be distinguished because the original one has the imprint Hagae-Comitum \[the Hague\] apud Joannem Neaulme; the reissue is from Leiden by Haak. *Note*(*2*) on Ovidius Montalbanus (1601-1671) and *Bibliotheca botanica*, the text of which was reprinted by Séguier in 1740: Montalbanus, professor of natural sciences and mathematics at Bologna, published, in 1657, a *Bibliotheca botanica* under the pseudonym Johannus Antonius Bumaldus. Linnaeus, at the time of his *Bibliotheca botanica*, had not yet seen the book and did not know that the author's name was a mystification. This publication was the main source for Séguier with respect to older literature; he included a reprint of it in his own *Bibliotheca botanica* of 1740, citing the actual name of the author: Ovidius Montalbanus (1601-1671)... Séguier praises the work highly and explains that Jo. Ant. Bumaldus is an anagram of the real author's name (Io. Antonius Bumaldus *versus* Ovidius Montalbanus). There are four parts: *Graeci, Latini veteri extantes, Scriptores arabes extantes*, and *Recentiores*... The order is more or less chronological under each heading; in the case of the *recentiores* the order is more or less chronological by the date of each author's first publication. Montalbanus provides useful biographical information and on the whole it can be said that the book is fairly complete. The works of Aldrovandi (Montalbanus' teacher, whose collections he was curating) receive especially detailed treatment. Bumaldus very definitely does full justice to Montalbanus: on p. 38 we find a neat biographical summary with a list of quite a few – mostly unpublished – works. He bestows high praise upon his alter ego when speaking about the *Hortus botanographicus* (then in manuscript, published in 1670): "Tres tandem tomos Botanographiae in octava folii forma, mole quidem parvos, sed virtute quam maximos nec non admirabilissimos, ad manus habet, in quibus innumerae Plantae quantumvis procerae & ingentes a natura & arte simul junctis artificiosissimè... effigiatae visuntur in aeternitatem... persentiuntur". Had Montalbanus only known that he would find, less than a century later, a sympathetic admirer in Séguier, he might perhaps have spared Bumaldus this panagyric upon himself. Meyer, in his *Geschichte der Botanik* (4: 269. 1857), notes kindly that this praise of his own publications is not all that conspicuous, because Bumaldus praises every botanist from Bologna above all others. Notwithstanding all this embellishment, however, Bumaldus' *Bibliotheca botanica* was undoubtedly a significant bibliographical effort from which his most important followers, Séguier and Haller, derived much benefit. The original publication of 1657 (which we have not seen) numbers 188 pp. in duodecimo, the lists of which are occupied by a special bibliography of publications on grasses. This part, entitled *Species graminum individuales*, occupies p. 41-62 of the Séguier reprint of 1740 and consists of a list of books treating grasses, with indication of the described or depicted species; it is, probably the first published agrostological bibliography. The book ends with a useful alphabetical index to author's names. *Note*(*3*) on the 1760 supplement by Laurens Theodoor Gronovius (1730-1777) entitled: *Auctuarium in bibliothecam botanicam*. Leiden, 1760, Cornelius Haak. This *Auctuarium* was issued "fere semper" (Pritzel) together with the 1760 reissue of Séguier's *Bibliotheca botanica*. We know of no separate copies, but Pritzel's statement seems to imply that they occur. Dryander (Cat. Banks 3: 7) cites the book as an independent entity. Laurens Theodoor Gronovius was the son of Jan Frederik Gronovius (1690-1762), the well-known Leiden patron of Linnaeus. Laurens Theodoor Gronovius published, in addition to this *Auctuarium*, the second edition of his father's *Flora virginica*. His other publications are mainly zoological, including a *Bibliotheca regni animalis atque lapidei* of 1760. For a detailed list of L.T. Gronovius' publications see Dryander (1798-1800). *Note*(*4*) on the 1745 supplement by Séguier himself, published in the second volume of his *Plantae Veronenses*, entitled Joannis Francisci Seguieri *Bibliothecae botanicae quae prodiit Hagae Comitum anno MDCCXL Supplementum*. This is the supplement mentioned by Séguier in his letter to Linnaeus. There are 79 pages; the pagination in the 1745 issue was independent of that of the *Plantae Veronenses*. In his preface Séguier mentions again his indebtedness to the Dutch classicist Gerard Jacob van Swinden, who sent him many corrections and additions, especially with respect to editions of classical authors. The literature of 1740-1745 is added, although not in the same detail as in the original work. Some last-minute acquisitions are mentioned on p. 72 and 73 in the addenda, "including even a Linnaean dissertation from 1745 ("*Dissertatio de Corallis maris Balthici*"; title actually slightly changed). ##### n.11.625. Calalogus plantar urn quae in agro Veronensi reperiuntur **Title** *Calalogus plantar urn quae in agro Veronensi reperiuntur*... Veronae \[Verona\] 1745. Oct. **Abbreviated title**: *Cat. pl. Veron.* **Notes** *Publ*.: 1745, p. \[3\]-111, *Copies*: B-S, HH, USDA. ##### n.11.626. Plantae veronenses **Title** *Plantae veronenses*. seu stirpium quae in agro Veronensi reperiuntur methodica synopsis. Auctore Joanne Francisco Seguierio nemausensi. Accedit ejusdem Bibliothecae botanicae supplementum.... Veronae (typis Seminarii) 1745-1754. 3 vols. **Abbreviated title**: *Pl. veron.* **Notes** *1*: 1745, p. \[i\]-lxxi, \[lxxii\], \[1\]-516, \[517\], *pl. 1-12* (uncol. copp.). *2*: 1745, p. \[1\]-480, *Bibl. bot. suppl*.: \[1\]-79, *pl. 13-17* (id.), p. \[1\] of suppl.: Joannes Francisci Seguierii Bibliotheca botanicae quae prodiit Hagae Comitum anno mdccxl supplementum – Contains on p. 443-447 additions to Francesco Calzolari (1521-c. 1600), Il viaggio di Monte Baldo... Venetia 1566, Iter Baldi civitatis Veronae montis, ib. 1571. *3*: Jul-Aug 1754 (GGA 7 Oct 1754, Séguier sent a copy to Linnaeus on 5 Sep 1754), p. \[i\]-xv, \[xvi\], \[1\]-312, \[1-8, index\], *pl. 1-8* (id.). *Plantarum quae in agro Veronensi reperiuntur* supplementum seu volumen tertium. Opera Jo. Francisci Seguierii. Veronae (ex Typographia Antonii Andreonii...) 1754. Oct. *Copies*: B, B-S, BR, FI, G, HH, HU, L, MICH, MO, NY, USDA (vol. 3 seen only at G). *Notes*: a proposal by A.J. Wilmott (Bull. misc. Inf. Kew 1935: 90-91) to treat names in the *Pl. veron.* as not validly published was rejected by the Amsterdam International botanical Congress of 1935. – For a note on the present status (validly publ.) of Séguier's generic names see J.E. Dandy, Regn. veg. 51: 18-19. 1967. – See also ICBN Art. 41, ex. 1, for an example involving the *Pl. veron.* – Séguier does not use Linnaean binary names for his species; his generic names, however, are validly published either by reference to an earlier description or by the provision of a new description.