• having lots of money or financial assets; not a synonym to wealth, as that encompasses many other areas of life (example: a person can be wealthy not because he/she has lots of money, but he/she has lots of experience – that person is said to have a wealth of experience)
• possessing an abundance: "Alaska is rich in oil," "The novel was rich in detail."
• elaborate or luxurious: "That was a very rich banquet."
• being of good or strong qualities, flavours, or ingredients: "The chocolate cake was very rich."
• full, deep, mellow or vivid: "The painter used a very rich palette."
• very amusing or absurd (slang): "Give you $20? Yeah, that's rich."
• being a rich man, to be independent of work.

Richard was born at Versailles. Between 1781 and 1789 he collected botanical specimens in Central America and the West Indies. On his return he became a professor at the Ecole de medicine in Paris.

His books included Demonstrations botaniques (1808), De Orchideis europaeis (1817), Commentatio botanica de Conifereis et Cycadeis (1826) and De Musaceis commentatio botanica (1831).