Jean Jules Linden
Jean Jules Linden (12 February 1817, in Luxembourg – 12 January 1898, in Brussels) was a Belgian botanist, explorer, horticulturist and businessman. He specialised in orchids, which he wrote a number of books about. Jean Linden studied at the Athénée Royal in Luxembourg until 1834 and went on to the faculty of science at the Free University of Brussels. In 1835, Jean Linden put forward his name when the Belgian government invited applications from academic circles for an exploration of Latin America. As a result, Jean Linden, Nicolas Funck (1816–1896), and Auguste Ghiesbreght (1810–1893) left Antwerp on 25 September 1835 for Rio de Janeiro and arrived in Brazil on 27 December. They remained in Brazil, collecting plants and animals, returning to Belgium in March 1837. As a result of this trip, Linden's lifelong preoccupation with orchids was born. Six months later, in September 1837, the same trio left Le Havre and reached Havana in December. The team explored Cuba and Mexico, collecting live animals and plants, until 1840. Linden suffered an acute attack of yellow fever near Laguna de Términos. He went on several expeditions and made a detailed study of orchid growth conditions in their natural habitat. His findings