Théodore (Teodoro) Caruel (27 June 1830 – 4 December 1898) was an Italian botanist of French-English parentage who specialized in flora of Tuscany.
At the age of 15, he moved with his family to Florence, where soon afterwards, he developed an interest in natural sciences, in particular, flora native to Tuscany.
In 1858 he began work as an assistant to Filippo Parlatore, and within a few years was given the title of coadjutor.
In 1871 he transferred to Pisa, where he taught classes in botany at the Athenaeum, and in 1880, again returned to Florence, this time serving as director of its botanical institute.
[1][2] As a taxonomist, he circumscribed the plant families Sarcolaenaceae, Stemonaceae and Welwitschiaceae, and was the botanical authority of several genera and numerous species.