Paul Émile de Puydt (Born in Mons, March 6 1810 - Died in Mons, May 28 1888) was a many-talented character. He published a lot as a botanist, as an economist and as a writer.

As a botanist, he notably wrote on orchids. The standard botanical author abbreviation De Puydt is applied to species he described.

As a political economist, he is known as the inventor of panarchy.