Selmar Schonland
Selmar Schönland ( born August 15, 1860 in Frankenhausen, Schwarzburg- Rudolstadt, † April 22, 1940 in Grahamstown ), and later at the country, was a German botanist. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Beautiful Country ".
Life
Schönland studied in Berlin and Kiel. In 1883 he received his doctorate and was 1886-1889 worked as assistant botanist in position under the direction of Professor Isaac Bayley Balfour for the Herbarium and Botanical Museum of the University of Oxford.
Schönland came as an immigrant in 1889 in the South African Grahamstown and took over the function of the curator ( in the function of the director ) from the Albany Museum. He continued in this position from 1889 to 1910 and was designated in 1895 as a Director. Under his leadership, the Museum has quickly developed into an important collection facility in South Africa. In the history of this museum Schönland is the third director since its inception.
The collections were available for assumption of office in a few minor Constitution. The holdings were housed in mangled situation in the Town Hall (City Hall). Many parts of the collection were for bad presentation to a perceived insufficient use. Schönland expanded the exhibition area and started with new collections, for example, with finds from ancient Egypt and ancient Greece and Rome. The biggest attraction of this collection's holdings applies an Egyptian mummy today.
In this active development period from Albany Museum and the establishment of a botanical collection on a systematic and scientific basis falls. He is the founder of Selmar Schönland Herbarium at Rhodes University, which was merged with the collection of this University in 1993 ( nearly 200,000 copies). The botanical collection of the museum was based on a foundation of 1860, donated by Dr. cardboard collection of over a thousand pressed vegetable.
In 1900 the idea of founding a university developed in Grahamstown. Schönland saw in it the opportunity to expand its workforce in a scientific perspective. As a result, J. E. took over Duerden in the Zoology Department Museum and Ernest Black the Geology Department. Schönland was founded in 1904 at Rhodes University College in 1905, the first professor of Botany. At the same time he resigned his membership in the Rhodes Council. After 1910 he finished his function as a museum director, he served as curator of the herbarium by the year 1926. As a museum director was succeeded Dr. John Hewitt ( Director 1910-1958 ).
Personal
Schönland was very interested in the local flora. Through this interest, he came into contact with Peter MacOwn, a botanist working in South Africa. He married the daughter of Peter MacOwan and 1896 his son Basil Already Country was born.
Memberships
- German Botanical Society
- Royal Society of South Africa
- South African Association for the Advancement of Science
- Geological Society of South Africa
- Rhodes Council
Selected Publications and Honors
- Engler & Prantl edited for Schönland in The natural plant families Volumes II 4 Commelinaceae 1887, III. 2a Crassulaceae, 1890, IV 5 Campanulaceae, Goodeniaceae and Candolleaceae 1889.
- S. Schönland: A new species of Aloe from Namaqualand. In: . Records Albany Mus, Grahamstown 1911, II 3 p 225-230
He was the genus Schoenlandia L.Bol honor. and several species, such Ex. schonlandii Aloe, Euphorbia schoenlandii Pax, Brachystelma schonlandianum Schltr. and Sebaea schoenlandii Schinz. named.