Henri Lecoq Explained

Henri Lecoq (18 April 1802 – 4 August 1871) was a French botanist. Charles Darwin mentioned this name in 1859 in the preface of his famous book On The Origin of Species as a believer in the modification of species. Darwin wrote:^[1]

The work referenced by Darwin is Lecoq's "Étude de la Géographie Botanique de l’Europe", published in 1854.

A number of plants carry the name of Lecoq in their descriptive names (see IPNI search). Also in 1829, botanist DC. published Lecokia, a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apiaceae with its name honouring him.^[2]

In addition a museum in his home town of Clermont Ferrand (France) is named after him.

Notes and References

1. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin; Preface to the first edition by the writer himself; taken from literature.org.
2. Web site: Lecokia DC. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 24 May 2021 . en.