French missionary who collected plants in northern Yunnan and south-eastern Tibet. Born in Salies-de Béarn, Jean-Théodore Monbeig became a missionary in 1899 and was posted to Tsekou in eastern Tibet. It was here he became the only priest out of five to escape violent Buddhist reprisals in 1905. His compatriots, including fellow plant collector Father Soulié, were killed. Monbeig returned to rebuild Tsekou Church, which was destroyed by the lamas. He survived another nine years before suffering the same fate as so many other missionaries in the area, being murdered by Tibetan lamas near Litang, western Sichuan. More than 20 plant species names honour him, including Cornus monbeigii Hemsl. and Deutzia monbeigii W.W.Sm.

Sources:
J.H. Barnhart, 1965, Biographical Notes Upon Botanists, 2: 504
E.H.M. Cox, 1945, Plant Hunting in China: 120.