Imagine a humble flower merchant in Kingsey Falls, Quebec. This was the beginning of Joseph-Louis-Conrad Kirouac who later became Brother Marie-Victorin. We celebrate him here.
Marie-Victorin, a name synonymous with botany in Quebec, was not just a botanist. He was an educator and author. He significantly impacted the scientific community.
Brother Marie-Victorin, born in 1885, was a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He is best known as the father of the Montreal Botanical Garden. He gained worldwide fame for his “Flore laurentienne”.
Though Marie-Victorin suggested a botanical garden as early as 1919, it wasn’t approved until 1929. Mayor Camillien Houde authorized it and construction began in 1931.
Subsequent administrations opposed the garden viewing it as a boondoggle. But Marie-Victorin championed its cause. He promoted it tirelessly. He led specimen-collection expeditions. He recruited Henry Teuscher as its designer. Even during World War II, he protected it from becoming a military flight school.
Marie-Victorin’s “Flore laurentienne” is a botanical record of all plant species indigenous to southern Quebec. It was the first record of its kind. He also wrote the preface to a biography of his fifth cousin, Zephirin Paquet.
Tragically, Brother Marie-Victorin died in a car accident in Montreal in 1944. He was entombed at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery. A building at the Université de Montréal, where he taught botany, was named in his honor.
His legacy lives on. The Marie-Victorin rose, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, was named in his honor.
To mark the centennial of his birth in 1985, a park was established in Kingsey Falls. It’s called Parc Marie-Victorin. What started as 3 acres has grown to nearly 30. The park is a leader in horticultural development. It champions the green movement.
In the early 1990s, a private high school in Montreal was named for him. While the school is still open, its name was changed in 2006.
Brother Victorin was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.
Marie-Victorin’s impact extends into the world of cinema. He is a central character in André Forcier’s 2019 film “Forgotten Flowers”. Yves Jacques portrays him. Alexandre Goyette portrays Marie-Victorin in Lyne Charlebois’s 2023 film “Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful.”
The Montreal Botanical Garden stands as a testament to Marie-Victorin’s vision. Founded in 1936, it spans over 75 hectares. It boasts approximately 20,000 plant species and cultivars. It maintains a herbarium of nearly 100,000 reference specimens.
The garden features many greenhouses. Ten are for public display and 23 are for service functions and research collections. Significant collections include commercially important plants and medicinal herbs. You’ll also find alpine plants, woodland plants, ferns, bonsai, cacti, succulents, begonias, aroids, bromeliads, gesneriads and orchids.
Other highlights include water gardens and a rock garden arranged by geographic region. There is a First Nations garden with plants of ethnobotanical importance to Native Americans. A collection of cultivated perennial herbaceous plants pleases home gardeners. And don’t forget the arboretum.
The Plant Biology Research Institute of the University of Montreal uses some of the garden’s facilities. Together, the two institutions form an important botanical research center.
Brother Marie-Victorin’s dedication shaped Montreal’s landscape. His passion for botany continues to inspire. He was more than just a botanist. He was a visionary. He left an indelible mark on Quebec and Canada.