Dr. Joaquim Martins Fontes da Silva (August 22, 1866 Nossa Senhora do Socorro, Sergipe - 1918 Bananal), lawyer, justice of peace, man of letters, poet, rosarian (mostly after 1897).
Dr. Joaquim Fontes was born in the Sergipe State, Brazil. He was a magistrate and developed his expertise in rose care and breeding mainly when He moved with his family to Sao Paulo State. He was married with Emilia Fontes and They did have children (Epiteto and Narbal Fontes).
In his time, He was in contact with many well knowed rosarians like Jules Graveraux, Pernet Ducher, Peter Lambert and Charles Dickson, from who He purchased his rose parents.
In 1908 He sent many of his own roses to Paris, France.
In 1910, The rose “Rodologue Jules Graveraux” was classified between “Les plus belles Roses au Debut du XXe. Siècle – page 75 – Societé National d’Horticulture de France” in Bagatelle fair. In 1914 his hybrid tea roses “Mme Joaquim Fontes” and “Macedo Costa” was classified as most beautiful roses by “Les Amis des Roses” review.
He dies in 1918 and his death was caused by the Spanish Influenza epidemia, sadly when He sent another rose collection to Paris. These roses never departed to France.
(This text was written using data from his biography –
Joaquim Fontes: o jardineiro e as rosas do Brasil published by his wife in 1941 and purchased by Rodrigo Mendes, in 2016)
Curiosity: His biography has a list with some of his crosses with near to 475 plants breeded and named by Dr Fontes. In that list is possible to know the rose parents used in his crosses, many imported from Europe, and with his efforts roses like “Anna de Diesbach” (1858), “Marie Van Houtte” (1871), “Mme Norbert Levavasseur” (1903), “Rêve d’Or” (1869), “Aimée Vibert” (1828), “La France” (1889), “Frau Karl Druschki” (1901), “Reine des Violettes” (1860), “Mme Isaac Pereire” (1881) and many others arrived in Brazilian ground. Some of these roses still growing unnamed in backyards and being shared between people. With the breeder biography now is possible to identify some of these roses.
[From
Les Amis des Roses, November 1930, p. 155:] Nous avons eu des créateurs remarquables comme le Dr Martins Fontes, le regretté juge de paix de Bananal. Il avait sa roseraie et obtenait de belles nouveautés comme
Colonel Ivo de Prado, Dahyl Fontes D. Anna Castilho, Mme Carlos de Rezende, Mlle Guiomar Cotrim, Rosa Valente, Souvenir de Euclide de Cunha, Souvenir de Francisco Castellhoes, et la populaire
Souvenir de Fausto Cardoso. Il mourut sous une ramée de fleurs grimpantes, aspirant la suave odeur des pétales divins.
[From
Roll Call: The Old Rose Breeder, p. 170:]
[Dr.] Joaquim Fontes Bananal, Brazil
"Magistrate, poet, and rose-grower" Died 1918
