Brazilian botanist (1838-1894).
Ladislau de Souza Mello Netto (1838–1894) was a Brazilian botanist and director of the Brazilian National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. Ladislau Netto was appointed museum director in 1870, as a substitute, and 1876, as full director, by the Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II, who strove to make the museum a showcase of science and learning. Thus, Ladislau Netto became the most influential Brazilian scientist of his time, with a mandate for modernizing and expanding the museum and making contacts with foreign scientists. He was a France-trained botanist, and in this capacity his contributions were sub