Prospero Alpini | |
|---|---|
 Prospero Alpini (1553–1617) | |
| Born | 23 November 1553 |
| Died | 6 February 1617 (aged 63) |
| Nationality | Venetian |
| Alma mater | Padua University |
| Known for | Study of date palms |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany, Medicine |
| Institutions | Venice, Genoa, Padua |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Alpino |
Prospero Alpini (also known as Prosper Alpinus, Prospero Alpinio and Latinized as Prosperus Alpinus) (23 November 1553 – 6 February 1617)[1] was a Venetian physician and botanist. He travelled around Egypt and served as the fourth prefect in charge of the botanical garden of Padua. He wrote several botanical treatises which covered exotic plants of economic and medicinal value. His description of coffee and banana plants are considered the oldest in European literature. The ginger-family genus Alpinia was named in his honour by Carolus Linnaeus.