Background
D'Incarville was born in Louviers (although some sources cite Rouen).
D'Incarville was born in Louviers (although some sources cite Rouen).
He was a missionary to China and was the first person to introduce several important plants to the West. During his stay, he was also actively involved in publishing scholarly material on China. He was tasked with converting the Qianlong Emperor of China, but the emperor showed little interest and denied d'Incarville access to the imperial gardens.
D'Incarville was on excellent terms with the emperor and he continued to introduce many other European plants to him during his time in China. D'Incarville described and sent back seeds of several plants then unknown in Europe as a correspondent of the Jardin des Plantes. Plants he introduced to the Western world include the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), the pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonica), Koelreuteria paniculata and Cedrela.
He was also the first European to describe the kiwifruit. In addition to his correspondence work, he wrote several works that were published in Europe. These covered topics such as the Ailanthus Silkmoth, Chinese varnishing and fireworks, as well as a French-Chinese dictionary.
He also published a copy of a 16th-century botanical illustration work (the Yuzhi bencao pinhui jingyao). D'Incarville died in Beijing in June 1757. Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu named the bignoniaceae genus incarvillea after him.