Francois Andre Michaux (1770 - 1855) was a French botanist commissioned by the French government in the early 1800's to explore the forests of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia. By 1810 Michaux had completed the North American Sylva, which was published in Paris from 1810 to 1813 and translated into English five years later. The Sylva is illustrated with works by Pierre Joseph Redoute