The Garden Bug: Lobelia

By Brenda Weaver

Matthaeus Lobelius (1538-1616) was a Flemish physician and plant enthusiast. Born in Flanders, he studied at the University of Montpellier and became personal physician first to William, Prince of Orange and later to James 1. As a member of the Flemish School of Botany, he wrote a series of major treatises on plants, and authored famous publications for botany students. He is credited with the first attempt to classify plants according to their natural affinities, rather than their medicinal uses. The plant genus Lobelia and the botanical family Lobeliaceae are named after him.

Source: dbpedia.org, prabook.com