Lucius Junius Moderatus, surnamed Columella (Gades, Baetica, 4 AD -. Taranto ca. AD 70.). Agronomic Roman writer. Born in Andalusia, like Seneca, which was a friend, spent time in the Roman army and was tribune in Syria 35 year d. C. After he moved to Rome, where he devoted himself to farming on a large scale, putting into practice their knowledge about them. In the capital of the empire was part of the highest social circles.
From his writings we have come Res rustica (Field Work), written around the year 42 and Liber de arboribus (Book of the trees). In the first of these works, divided into twelve books, and inspired by earlier works of Cato the Elder, Varro and other Latin, Greek and even Carthaginians authors discusses all field work in the broadest sense of the word: from practice of agriculture, animal husbandry and beekeeping, to cure animals, through the preparation of products and preserves.
The book is arboribus bush crops such as vines to trees such as olives or fruit trees and even flowers such as purple or pink. Columella's work is considered the most comprehensive and documented repertoire of Roman agriculture.
In 1794, botanists José Antonio Pavón and Hipólito Ruiz López Jiménez and was named in honor of Columellia a Peruvian genre astéridas.