Cavanilles, Antonio José (1745–1804)

Spain's leading taxonomic botanist in the 18th century; in Paris 1777–1781; in Madrid 1789–1804; from 1801 Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Madrid. Described a number of Australian plants, including the genera Angophora and Bursaria, in his 6-volume Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum... (1791–1799). The Australian descriptions were based on collections made near Port Jackson and Botany Bay (New South Wales) by Luis Née (q.v.). Other Australian taxa were described in papers in Anal. Hist. Nat. 1: 89–107 (1799) & 3: 181–245 (1800).

Illustrated his own Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum (1791-1801).

His main herbarium is at MA, with lesser amounts in BM, C, G, LD, LINN, MO, P, P-JU, P-LA and UPS.

Example of artwork:

Banksia ericifolia

Extracted from: A.E.Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed., ABRS. [consult for source references] , W.Blunt & W.T. Stearn The Art of Botanical Illustration 2nd edn (1994)
Portrait: Detail from a portrait by Mariano Sig�enza y Ort�z (-1860?), held at the Biblioteca Nacional de España.