This Monday, Google is dedicating its doodle of the day to French explorer and botanist Jeanne Barret on the occasion of the 280th anniversary of her birth. Born in Autun (Saône-et-Loire), the Burgundian woman became in 1766 the first woman to tour the world.
French law at the time prohibited women from traveling on navy boats. The specialist in medicinal plants therefore had to disguise herself as a man to be able to embark, we learn on the page devoted to this doodle.
Happy 280th birthday to the first woman to circle the globe: French botanist & explorer Jeanne Baret 🇫🇷🌍
In Brazil, Baret discovered the now-famous bougainvillea vine, featured in today's #GoogleDoodle 🌿🇧🇷
→ https://t.co/ pbaNt0Vduz pic.twitter.com/AA0MSg0Qpz
Assistant to Philibert Commerson
Thanks to this subterfuge, Jeanne Barret was able to board L'Etoile and participate in a scientific expedition as assistant to Philibert Commerson, a renowned botanist. The young woman had been spotted thanks to her talents for recognizing plants, talents developed during a childhood spent in the countryside.
However, the Explorer's journey did not go smoothly. The real identity of the young woman was discovered in Tahiti. She and Philibert Commerson had to stop their journey in 1768 to Mauritius, where she stayed for two years. She then returned to France, officially ending her world tour.
At the origin of bougainvillea
In addition to this feat, Jeanne Barret is considered by many experts as the first European to have discovered the bougainvillea. She was in contact with this climbing plant during a stopover in Brazil. The drawing illustrating the doodle, made by Sophie Diao, shows the Frenchwoman on the Etoile bridge surrounded by a wreath of bougainvillea.
Jeanne Barret and Philibert Commerson brought back from their expedition around the world no less than 6,000 specimens of plants. The botanist's contribution to science was not recognized during her lifetime. But in 2012, a new species of the genus Solanum was named baretiae in his homage.
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