Biography

French horticultural company started in 1743 by Madame Claude Geoffrey who sold plants and seeds on the Quai de la Mégisserie with her husband, Pierre d'Andrieux, who became the main seed supplier and botanist to King Louis XV. Their daughter married Victoire de Vilmorin and the company added the Vilmorin name in 1775 to become Andrieux & Vilmorin (1775-1780). the name was later changed to Vilmorin-Andrieux (1780-1815) to reflect the great contribution of the Vilmorin family of botanists, in particular Louis de Vilmorin who gained an international reputation as a scientist and for the company during 19th century. Plants described from cultivated material originally collected by employees of the company is difficult to associate with individual collectors, though Philippe de Vilmorin (1872-1917) collected in Sudan and Java early in the 20th century. Herbarium material is usualy identified ambiguously as 'de Vilmorin'. The family name is commemorated in Vilmorinia DC.

More recently, the Vilmorin-Andrieux company was purchased by René Hodée in 1972 and moved to La Ménitré, later sold to crop seed company of Limagrain (1975). Following a program of mergers and acquisitions of French and international seed suppliers, it has been renamed as Vilmorin Clause et Cie and has grown to become the largest supplier of seeds to the professional gardener and the home consumer in the world with many popular brands including Clause, Ferry-Morse, Flora-Frey, Henderson Seeds, HM, Kyowa, Sperli, Suttons, Top Green, in addition to Vilmorin.

Biography

French horticultural company started in 1743 by Madame Claude Geoffrey who sold plants and seeds on the Quai de la Mégisserie with her husband, Pierre d'Andrieux, who became the main seed supplier and botanist to King Louis XV. Their daughter married Victoire de Vilmorin and the company added the Vilmorin name in 1775 to become Andrieux & Vilmorin (1775-1780). the name was later changed to Vilmorin-Andrieux (1780-1815) to reflect the great contribution of the Vilmorin family of botanists, in particular Louis de Vilmorin who gained an international reputation as a scientist and for the company during 19th century. Plants described from cultivated material originally collected by employees of the company is difficult to associate with individual collectors, though Philippe de Vilmorin (1872-1917) collected in Sudan and Java early in the 20th century. Herbarium material is usualy identified ambiguously as 'de Vilmorin'. The family name is commemorated in Vilmorinia DC.

More recently, the Vilmorin-Andrieux company was purchased by René Hodée in 1972 and moved to La Ménitré, later sold to crop seed company of Limagrain (1975). Following a program of mergers and acquisitions of French and international seed suppliers, it has been renamed as Vilmorin Clause et Cie and has grown to become the largest supplier of seeds to the professional gardener and the home consumer in the world with many popular brands including Clause, Ferry-Morse, Flora-Frey, Henderson Seeds, HM, Kyowa, Sperli, Suttons, Top Green, in addition to Vilmorin.