Botanist. He was an early 19th-century French botanist recognized as a physician, naturalist, explorer, educator, politician, and businessman. Born Aimé Jacques Alexander Goujaud, he studied medicine in Paris, afterward studied with noted physician Jean Nicolas Corvisart, then made a close friendship with German explorer Alexander Von Humboldt, whom he accompanied in the explorations, which were described in "Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent." They made a great collection of plants during the 5-year trip through Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. He collected and classified about 6,000 plants, for the most part previously unknown, which were afterwards described in "Plantes Equinoxiales," which was published in 30 volumes by 1810. Documenting this trip, there are several paintings of him and Humboldt together. After being recognized for his talents, he was given a national pension and became superintendent of the gardens of Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, Josephine, at her estate at Malmaison. He had Napoleon's ear in a time that French politics were unstable during the French Revolution. After endeavoring to persuade Napoleon to retire to the United States or South America, he departed for Buenos Aires in 1816, where he was appointed professor of Natural History. He had a cattle ranch and a farm during this time. While he was exploring Paraguay, he was arrested as a spy in 1821 and was a prisoner for ten years, during which period he devoted his services of a physician gratuitously for the poor. During his captivity, he married and had several children. On regaining his liberty, he returned to Argentina by 1831, yet never returned to Paris. His principal work was "Nova Genera et Species Plantarum" which was published between 1815 and 1829.