Colmeiro was born on 22 October 1816 in
Santiago de Compostela. He was the rector of the Faculty of Sciences in the
Complutense University of Madrid where he later became the Dean. He had been the Director of the
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, and professor of
Phytography and
Botanical Geography. He also was a member of the
Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences and of the
Real Academia Nacional de Medicina de España. He is known as the author of many notable botanical works. He was one of the founder of the
Real Sociedad Española de Historia Natural. He received the
Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Order of María Victoria. He died in Madrid on 21 June 1901. == Honors ==