Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)

Robert Brown
Born(1773-12-21)21 December 1773
Montrose, Scotland
Died10 June 1858(1858-06-10) (aged 84)
London, England[1]
Alma materUniversity of Aberdeen University of Edinburgh
Known forBrownian motion, Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen
Parents
AwardsFellow of the Linnean Society, foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
InstitutionsBritish Museum
Author abbrev. (botany)R.Br.

Robert Brown FRSE FRS FLS MWS (21 December 1773 – 10 June 1858) was a Scottish botanist and paleobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope. His contributions include one of the earliest detailed descriptions of the cell nucleus and cytoplasmic streaming; the observation of Brownian motion; early work on plant pollination and fertilisation, including being the first to recognise the fundamental difference between gymnosperms and angiosperms; and some of the earliest studies in palynology. He also made numerous contributions to plant taxonomy, notably erecting a number of plant families that are still accepted today; and numerous Australian plant genera and species, the fruit of his exploration of that continent with Matthew Flinders.

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