Michel Félix Dunal

Who was Michel Félix Dunal?

Michel Félix Dunal was a French botanist. He was professor of botany in Montpellier, France. He held the chair of Medical Natural History from 1816 to 1819. The Solanaceous plant genus Dunalia is named after him.

He is especially known for his work with the genus Solanum, and published an important work on the genus Solanorum generumque affinium Synopsis seu Solanorum Historiae, editionis secundae summarium ad characteres differentiales redactum, seriem naturalem, habitationes stationesque specierum breviter indicans. Montpellier, 1816.

For the work Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis by Augustin de Candolle and his son, Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle, he contributed to Volume I of 1824 "Cistineae" on to Volume VII, No. 2 of 1839 "Vaccinieae" and to Volume XIII No. 1 of 1852 "Solanaceae". Its publication in 1852 was the last taxonomic treatment of the nightshade family. This also includes a first attempt to divide the species of Solanum into sections. Starting points were morphological features such as the shape of the anthers and the presence or absence of spines.