Over forty years studying tree development across several continents: botanist and researcher Claude Edelin will share his perspective on tropical plant diversity at a public lecture on Friday, September 25, at the Institut Français de Maurice.
The Institut Français de Maurice and the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Mauritius invite the public to the lecture “The Diversity of Tropical Plants,” presented by Dr. Claude Edelin, botanist and researcher at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The event will take place on Friday, September 25, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., at the Institut Français de Maurice in Rose-Hill. Admission is free, with registration required.
Forty years devoted to studying tree development
A specialist in tree architecture, Claude Edelin has studied tree development for more than forty years in South America, Africa, and Asia, as well as in Europe and North America. He taught botany at the University of Montpellier 2 and co-founded an international master’s program in tropical plant biology. Edelin also taught at vocational training centers specializing in arboriculture. His research contributed to reforming pruning practices in France. Now retired in Mauritius, he continues his work of sharing knowledge to help people better understand, appreciate, and respect plants.
Observing the forms and architecture of tropical plants
Through this lecture, Claude Edelin will offer the Mauritian public an exploration of the diversity of tropical plants — their forms, their architecture, and the strategies they have developed over time. The event will offer insight from a botanist who has devoted several decades to observing and studying plant development across different regions of the world.
A collaboration between the IFM and the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences
Founded in 1829, originally under the name Natural History Society of Mauritius, the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Mauritius works to safeguard the country’s scientific, natural, and artistic heritage. It regularly organizes talks, lectures, and outings for its members and the interested public.
The Institut Français de Maurice and the Royal Society have a long-standing collaboration. In 2015, for example, the two institutions organized a lecture titled “The Contribution of French Scholars to the Development of Île de France,” marking the 300th anniversary of France taking possession of the island.
