During his lifetime, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840) was not appreciated for his abilities as a gifted naturalist. He produced over 900 works on a wide variety of subjects, describing many new species of plants and fishes. Charles Darwin ultimately recognized him as one of the first naturalists to champion the idea of natural plant classification. Rafinesque believed that each species that deviated from the norm was capable of becoming a new species.

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque was born in Galata, a suburb of Constantinople, Turkey, on August 22, 1783. His father was a prosperous French merchant from Marseilles. His mother, Madeleine Schmaltz, was born in Greece of German parents. Rafinesque went by the name Rafinesque-Schmaltz until 1814 when he dropped his mother's maiden name. During the Napoleonic Wars the Rafinesque family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to escape the violence. Rafinesque's father died there of yellow fever. His mother took Rafinesque, along with his...