{{short description|Dutch botanist}} {{distinguish|text=American musician David Meece}} {{Infobox scientist |name = David Meese |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = {{birth-date|25 December 1723}} |birth_place = Leeuwarden |death_date = {{death-date and age|23 August 1770|25 December 1723}} |death_place = Franeker |residence = |citizenship = |ethnicity = |field = Botany |work_institutions = University of Franeker |alma_mater = |doctoral_advisor = |doctoral_students = |known_for = Bryology |author_abbrev_bot = Meese }} thumb|right|Cover of the ''Flora frisica'' '''David Meese''' (25 December 1723 – 23 August 1770) was a Dutch botanist notable for his authorship of the ''Flora frisica'' in 1760.<ref name="jstor">{{cite journal|url=https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000500038|title=Meese, David (1723-1770) on JSTOR|access-date=20 November 2018}}</ref>
==Career== Born into a low class family, Meese became a self taught herbalist. His skills were recognized by the University of Franeker where he was placed in charge of the academic gardens at the college in 1752.<ref name=aa> Aa, A. J. (1859). Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden (Deel. 12-1). Retrieved from http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/retroboeken/vdaa/#source=aa__001biog14_01.xml&page=523&view=imagePane&accessor=accessor_index&accessor_href=http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/retroboeken/vdaa/accessor_index/index_html?page=523&source=aa__001biog14_01.xml&id=accessor_index</ref>
In 1760, Meese published a flora of Friesland, the ''Flora frisica'', which followed the Linnaean system of classification. He followed this with the publication of the two-part ''Plantarum rudimenta etc.'' in 1763, written in both Latin and Dutch.<ref name=mol>Molhuysen, P. C., Blok, P. J., Knappert, L., & Kossmann, K. H. (1911). Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek (Deel. 10). Retrieved from http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/retroboeken/nnbw/#source=10&page=308&view=imagePane</ref> He was known for his experiments into moss physiology. He investigated the propagation of the common hair moss, ''Polytrichum commune'', and was among the first to write an account on the morphology of spore germination.<ref name="jstor"/><ref>Meyer, S. (1947). Physiological Studies on Mosses. VI. Spore Germination and Protonema Development in Physcomitrium turbinatum (Michx.) Brid. The Bryologist, 50(4), 403-408. doi:10.2307/3239646</ref>
Among his inventions was a special seeder, which was a wooden cart with two wheels and holes on the back wall to allow seed to pass through.<ref name=aa/> He also invented a seed drill.<ref name=mol/>
The moss genus ''Meesia'' was named after him in 1788 by his contemporary Johann Hedwig.<ref name=jstor/>
==Publications== *{{cite book|last1=Meese|first1=David|title=Flora frisica: of, Lyst der planten welke in de provintie Friesland in het wilde gevonden worden; waar by gevoegt is een korte beschryvinge van boovengenoemde landschap|date=1760|publisher=gedrukt by Jacob Brouwer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2dcZAAAAYAAJ}} *{{cite book|last1=Meese|first1=David|title= Het XIX classe van de Genera plantarum van de heer Carolus Linnæus, Syngenesia genaamt: Opgeheldert en vermeerdert : Mitsgaders etc.|date=1761|publisher=by H.A. de Chalmot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfdcAAAAcAAJ}} *{{cite book|last1=Meese|first1=David|last2=Borbone di Napoli casa|title=Plantarum rudimenta, sive illarum methodus. Ducta ex differentia earum seminum, cotyledonum, aliarumque partium, quae brevi tempore post earum propullulationem, ac ulterius incrementum, in iis conspiciuntur|date=1763|publisher=excudit Guilielmus Coulon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMt6-oBwhaMC}} *{{cite book|last1=Meese|first1=David|title=Antwoord op de vraag: welke zyn de beste en minst kostbaare middelen, om het afneemen der oevers van het Haarlemmer Meer te beletten?|date=1768|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TIH3PvcxCw4C}}
{{Botanist|Meese|inline=}}
==References== {{reflist}} {{BWN}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meese, David}} Category:1723 births Category:1770 deaths Category:Dutch botanical writers Category:18th-century Dutch botanists Category:Dutch bryologists Category:People from Leeuwarden