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Henri Cassini

1781 – 1832

French botanist

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About Henri Cassini

Lived 1781 – 1832 (aged 50). Henri Cassini was a French botanist, politician, magistrate and jurist, known for Asteraceae.

Viscount Alexandre Henri Gabriel (vicomte) de Cassini (9 May 1781 – 23 April 1832) was a French botanist and naturalist, who specialised in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) (then known as family Compositae).

He was the youngest of five children of Jean-Dominique, Comte de Cassini (Cassini IV), famous for completing the map of France, who had succeeded his father as the director of the Paris Observatory. He was also the great-great-grandson of famous Italian-French astronomer, Giovanni Domenico Cassini, discoverer of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and the Cassini division in Saturn's rings.

The genus Cassinia was named in his honour by the botanist Robert Brown.

He named many flowering plants and new genera in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), many of them from North America. He published 65 papers and 11 reviews in the [Nouveau] Bulletin des Sciences of the Société Philomatique de Paris between 1812 and 1821. In 1825, Cassini placed the North American taxa of Prenanthes (family Asteraceae, tribe Lactuceae) in a new genus Nabalus. In 1828 he named Dugaldia hoopesii for the Scottish naturalist Dugald Stewart (1753–1828).

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Known for
Asteraceae
Positions held
Member of the Chamber of Peers, Member of the Court of Cassation, President of the Chamber
Awards
Knight of the Legion of Honour
Also known as
Cass., Alexandre Henri Gabriel de Cassini, Gabriel Cassini, H. Cassini, Alexandre Henri Gabriel Cassini

People in Henri Cassini's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Henri Cassini's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Henri Cassini?

French botanist (1781-1832)

When was Henri Cassini born?

Henri Cassini was born on 9 May 1781 in Paris.

When did Henri Cassini die?

Henri Cassini died on 16 April 1832 in Paris.

What was Henri Cassini's occupation?

Henri Cassini was a botanist, politician, magistrate and jurist.

What was Henri Cassini known for?

Henri Cassini was known for Asteraceae.

What nationality was Henri Cassini?

Henri Cassini was French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Henri Cassini

· Wikidata: Q958431

· DBpedia: Henri Cassini

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Henri Cassini. https://biography.guide/henri-cassini/

MLA: "Henri Cassini." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/henri-cassini/.

Chicago: "Henri Cassini." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/henri-cassini/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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