Theophrastus is known as the
Father of Botany
.
He was born around 371 BCE in Eresos, on the island of Lesbos, Greece.
Theophrastus was a student of
Aristotle
and succeeded him as the head of the
Lyceum, Aristotle's school in Athens.
His most notable works are "
Historia Plantarum
" (The History of Plants) and "
De Causis Plantarum
" (On the Causes of Plants).
He developed an early system of plant classification, categorizing plants into trees, shrubs, undershrubs, and herbs.
Theophrastus described the morphology of plants, including their roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
He studied plant reproduction and noted the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction in plants.
Theophrastus documented the medicinal properties of various plants and their uses in ancient medicine.
He emphasized the importance of careful observation and description of plants, laying the groundwork for empirical scientific methods.
Theophrastus' works remained influential for many centuries and were pivotal in the development of botany as a scientific discipline.