The Abbe Berlèse (Campomolino, Italy 1784- Campomolino, Italy August 16, 1863) was the greatest camellia scholar of the nineteenth century. He was born and died in Campolino, Italy. He was ordained priest in the Seminario Vescovile di Ceneda. He lived and worked for circa 40 years in Paris, where he had his own greenhouses. The first edition of his book, published in 1837, began to establish a formal classification system for camellia varieties. He was cofounder (with 400 others) and vice-president of the Société Royale d'Horticulture de Paris the predecessor of the Société nationale d'horticulture de France. He is remembered by the Camellia Berlesiana and Camellia Campomolendina which bear his name.