João de Loureiro

Who was João de Loureiro?

João de Loureiro was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and botanist.

After receiving admission to the Jesuit Order, he served as a missionary in Goa and Macau. In 1742 he traveled to Cochinchina, remaining there for 35 years. Here he worked as a mathematician and naturalist, acquiring knowledge on the properties and uses of native medicinal plants. In 1777 he journeyed to Canton, returning to Lisbon four years later.

In 1790 he published a work on flora of Cochinchina titled Flora Cochinchinensis.