Theophrastus- The father of Botany

Theophrastus 

Modern botany traces its roots back to Ancient Greece specifically to Theophrastus (c. 371–287 BC), a student of Aristotle who invented and described many of its principles and is widely regarded in the scientific community as the "Father of Botany".

His major works are, “Enquiry into Plants” and “On the Causes of Plants”. These books contained so much information about plants that 1,800 years went by before any new discovery in botany was made. Theophrastus was the first person to include the practice of agriculture (growing plants for food) into botany. He also developed a theory of plant growth and wrote about how plants were structured. He identified and described 550 different plants. Theophrastus spent most of his time in Athens, Greece, where he was in charge of the first existing botanical garden.

'The Enquiry into Plants'

'The Enquiry into Plants' was originally 10 books, of which 9 survive. The work is arranged into a system whereby plants are classified according to their modes of generation, their localities, their sizes, and according to their practical uses such as foods, juices, herbs.  The 1^st  book deals with the parts of plants; the 2^nd  book with the reproduction of plants and the times and manner of sowing; the 3rd, 4th, and 5^th   books are devoted to trees, their types, their locations, and their practical applications; the 6^th  book deals with shrubs and spiny plants; the 7^th  book deals with herbs; the 8^th  book deals with plants that produce edible seeds; and the 9^th  book deals with plants that produce useful juices, gums, resins.

'On the Causes of Plants'

'On the Causes of Plants' was originally 8 books, of which 6 survive. It concerns the growth of plants; the influences on their fecundity; the proper times they should be sown and reaped; the methods of preparing the soil, manuring it, and the use of tools; and of the smells, tastes, and properties of many types of plants.  The work deals mainly with the economical uses of plants rather than their medicinal uses, although the latter is sometimes mentioned. A book on wines and a book on plant smells may have once been part of the complete work.

Even if some of his works contains absurd statements, they include valuable observations concerning the functions and properties of plants. He found the process of germination and realized the importance of climate and soil to plants.