In 2025 we celebrate the 150th death anniversary of Ettore Rolli (1818–1876), a Roman physician and botanist.
After graduating in medicine, Rolli practiced as a physician for several years. However, his passion for botany soon led him to devote himself to the study of plants, particularly Roman flora, which he observed, collected, and documented with great care.
In 1853, he was appointed custodian of the Botanical Garden of Rome, then located on Via della Lungara at Palazzo Salviati. Subsequently, from 1860 to 1871, he held the position of Director, first provisionally and then permanently, succeeding Pietro Sanguinetti. During those years, he promoted study and experimentation, particularly on the acclimatization of exotic plant species. In 1868, he replaced Sanguinetti as the chair of Practical Botany at La Sapienza University.
Rolli was a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, where he combined his botanical activities with historical research, focusing on Federico Cesi and the history of the early Lincei, demonstrating his broad and multidisciplinary scientific interests.
He died in Rome on January 16, 1876. His herbarium, now preserved at the Sapienza Herbarium Museum, is included in the historical collections (Herbarium Romanum and Herbarium Generale) and represents a valuable source for the study of the territory's historical biodiversity. Several species have been named after him, including Bupleurum rollii (Montel.) Moraldo and Romulea rollii Parl., the latter of which, in stylized format, was chosen for the Herbarium Museum logo.
In the photo:
Romulea rollii Parl.
From the Erbario Romanum (HR)