After receiving his
Doctorate of Science at the
University of Montpellier in 1844, he worked for a while at the
Royal Botanical Gardens in London, and for a few years was a teacher in
Nancy and
Ghent. In 1853 he became head of the department of botanical sciences at the University of Montpellier, where he remained for the remainder of his career. Planchon was highly regarded in scientific circles, and made a number of contributions in his classification of botanical species and varieties. He is credited with publishing over 2000 botanical names, including
Actinidia chinensis, better known as the "golden
kiwifruit". Planchon is remembered for his work in saving French grape vineyards from
Phylloxera vastatrix, a microscopic, yellow
aphid-like pest that was an exotic species from the United States. He performed this task with assistance from French botanist
Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet and American
entomologist Charles Valentine Riley. The solution involved introduction of American
grapevines (
Vitis riparia and
Vitis rupestris) to France for
grafting purposes. American horticulturalist,
T.V. Munson, was instrumental in identifying and provisioning the American rootstock that was resistant to
Phylloxera and suitable for French growing conditions.He died in 1888 and he is buried at the
Protestant cemetery of Montpellier. == Written works ==