LessonPA

Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

Lesson, Pierre Adolphe (= A. Lesson)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II)

Born: 1805, Rochefort, France.

career:

Surgeon-botanist on the French expedition of ‘L’Astrolabe’ under command of Capt. Dumont d’Urville (see there). The bulk of the plants brought home by the ‘Astrolabe’ were collected by Lesson.

Collecting localities:

Voyage in ‘L’Astrolabe’, 1826-29.¹ Sailing from Toulon (March 28, 1826); Gibraltar, Teneriffe, Port Jackson, New South Wales, Tasman Bay, New Zealand, Tonga Islands, Viti Islands; Bismarck Archipelago: New Ireland, Carteret Harbour (July 7-18, 1827), visiting the Cocos Islands; along the N. coast of New Guinea: discovery of the entrance of Humboldt Bay (Aug. 12); Port Doré (Aug. 25-Sept. 6); Ambon (Sept. 24-Oct. 10); passing the straits of Ombai, Timor and Simao (= Semaoe) to Tasmania, New Zealand, New Hebrides, the Marianas, etc.; N of Waigeo(u), passing the straits of Gebeh and Kekek; Boeroe: Kajeli (June 30-July 6, 1828); Ambon (July 10-18); N. Celebes, Minahassa: Manado (July 27), by land to Tondano, returning to Manado (31) via G. Empong; sailing for Batavia (Aug. 4); W. Java: Batavia (Aug. 29-Sept. l), Anjer (Sept. 5); he de France; Cape of Good Hope; Toulon (Apr. 2, 1829).

collections:

Herb. Decand. (Geneva [G]): 107 plants from the ‘Astrolabe’; Herb. Paris [P]: New Zealand plants;² Herb. Vienna [W]: New Zealand plants collected by Lesson (no initials mentioned). Duplicates in Herb. Berl. [B]: Astrolabe voyage 1826-29, from Ambon, etc.

The total collections of this expedition amount to 1600 species in 6000 specimens (a small part collected by Dumont d’Urville,³ and Gaimard).

The collection was elaborated by Richard.⁴ Hasskarl mentioned one of the New Guinea plants (in his paper on the Commelinaceae) ‘in Herb. (Rich.) comitis de Franqueville’; probably with Herb. Richard and Franqueville in Herb. Paris [P].

literature:

(1) J.S.C. Dumont d’Urville: ‘Voyage de la corvette L’Astrolabe, exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, etc. Histoire du voyage’ (Paris 1830-33).
cf. also ‘Kort berigt der ontdekkingsreize van de Astrolabe etc.’ (Alg. Konst- en Letterbode 1830², p. 4-10, 21-24).
(2) cf. Lasègue, Mus. Bot. Deless., 1845, p. 313-314.
(3) cf. ditto l.c. p. 378-379.
(4) A. Richard: ‘Voyage de découvertes de L’Astrolabe ... pendant ... 1826-29 sous le commandement de J.S.C. Dumont d’Urville.’ Botanique (for dates of issue cf. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 8, 1901, p. 333) vol. 1 ‘Essai d’une flore de la Nouvelle-Zélande’ (Paris 1832); vol. 2 ‘Sertum Astrolabianum’ (Paris 1834). The latter volume consists of a catalogue of plant species collected in the more important localities visited during the expedition; the list of Ambon contains 53 phanerogams, that of Boeroe 25, of Celebes 29; Atlas, 1833, 39 pl. For particulars on the botanical drawings see Cl. Nissen, ‘Die botanische Buchillustration’ 1951, vol. 2, p. 53 sub Dumond d’Urville.

biographical data:

In Bibl. Austr. Entom. 1775-1930 (R. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 1932, p. 199).

	Career Collecting localities Collections Literature Biographical data
	Lesson, Pierre Adolphe (= A. Lesson)
	(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors) (Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II)
	Born: 1805, Rochefort, France.
	career: Surgeon-botanist on the French expedition of ‘L’Astrolabe’ under command of Capt. Dumont d’Urville (see there). The bulk of the plants brought home by the ‘Astrolabe’ were collected by Lesson.
	Collecting localities: Voyage in ‘L’Astrolabe’, 1826-29.¹ Sailing from Toulon (March 28, 1826); Gibraltar, Teneriffe, Port Jackson, New South Wales, Tasman Bay, New Zealand, Tonga Islands, Viti Islands; Bismarck Archipelago: New Ireland, Carteret Harbour (July 7-18, 1827), visiting the Cocos Islands; along the N. coast of New Guinea: discovery of the entrance of Humboldt Bay (Aug. 12); Port Doré (Aug. 25-Sept. 6); Ambon (Sept. 24-Oct. 10); passing the straits of Ombai, Timor and Simao (= Semaoe) to Tasmania, New Zealand, New Hebrides, the Marianas, etc.; N of Waigeo(u), passing the straits of Gebeh and Kekek; Boeroe: Kajeli (June 30-July 6, 1828); Ambon (July 10-18); N. Celebes, Minahassa: Manado (July 27), by land to Tondano, returning to Manado (31) via G. Empong; sailing for Batavia (Aug. 4); W. Java: Batavia (Aug. 29-Sept. l), Anjer (Sept. 5); he de France; Cape of Good Hope; Toulon (Apr. 2, 1829).
	collections: Herb. Decand. (Geneva [G]): 107 plants from the ‘Astrolabe’; Herb. Paris [P]: New Zealand plants;² Herb. Vienna [W]: New Zealand plants collected by Lesson (no initials mentioned). Duplicates in Herb. Berl. [B]: Astrolabe voyage 1826-29, from Ambon, etc. The total collections of this expedition amount to 1600 species in 6000 specimens (a small part collected by Dumont d’Urville,³ and Gaimard). The collection was elaborated by Richard.⁴ Hasskarl mentioned one of the New Guinea plants (in his paper on the Commelinaceae) ‘in Herb. (Rich.) comitis de Franqueville’; probably with Herb. Richard and Franqueville in Herb. Paris [P].
	literature: (1) J.S.C. Dumont d’Urville: ‘Voyage de la corvette L’Astrolabe, exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, etc. Histoire du voyage’ (Paris 1830-33). cf. also ‘Kort berigt der ontdekkingsreize van de Astrolabe etc.’ (Alg. Konst- en Letterbode 1830², p. 4-10, 21-24). (2) cf. Lasègue, Mus. Bot. Deless., 1845, p. 313-314. (3) cf. ditto l.c. p. 378-379. (4) A. Richard: ‘Voyage de découvertes de L’Astrolabe ... pendant ... 1826-29 sous le commandement de J.S.C. Dumont d’Urville.’ Botanique (for dates of issue cf. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 8, 1901, p. 333) vol. 1 ‘Essai d’une flore de la Nouvelle-Zélande’ (Paris 1832); vol. 2 ‘Sertum Astrolabianum’ (Paris 1834). The latter volume consists of a catalogue of plant species collected in the more important localities visited during the expedition; the list of Ambon contains 53 phanerogams, that of Boeroe 25, of Celebes 29; Atlas, 1833, 39 pl. For particulars on the botanical drawings see Cl. Nissen, ‘Die botanische Buchillustration’ 1951, vol. 2, p. 53 sub Dumond d’Urville.
	biographical data: In Bibl. Austr. Entom. 1775-1930 (R. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 1932, p. 199).