Berthold Carl Seemann

Berthold Carl Seemann ( born February 28, 1825 Hannover, † October 10, 1871 in Javali, Nicaragua ) was a German traveler and naturalist, botanist and plant collector. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Seem. "

Life and work

1846 sailor was added by the British Admiralty as a naturalist of the expedition, Sir Henry Kellett took the ship Herald. He visited Central and South America. In 1848 the Herald the order to penetrate from the Bering Strait from the Arctic Ocean in order to clarify the fate of the missing John Franklin and his expedition. In this way, sailor made ​​three research trips to the Arctic Ocean. In 1849 he returned back to Mazatlan, Mexico traveled, came again in 1850 to the Arctic Ocean before and met in July 1851 in London.

In February 1860 sailor stepped to a second larger journey on which he particularly Fiji researched and coined the name of the cannibal tomato. 1864 to 1866 he toured Venezuela and Central America.

Sailor was temporarily employed at the Botanical Gardens in Hannover and at Kew. In 1853 he was awarded the Dr. H.C. awarded by the University of Göttingen; 1853 to 1862 he was editor of the magazine Bonplandia, from 1863 to 1871 he was editor of the Journal of Botany, British and Foreign. The plant genera Seemannia (now in the genus Gloxinia, Gesneriad family ( Gesneriaceae ), incorporated ) and Seemannaralia R. Viguier of the family Araliaceae ( Araliaceae ) were named after him.

After he was manager of a sugar plantation in Panama some time sailor died on 10 October 1871 in Javali (Nicaragua ), where he belonged to the Board of a gold mining company.

Writings (selection )

  • The common names of American plants., 1851.
  • Introduced in Europe acacias. Hannover 1852.
  • Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Herald and three cruises to the Arctic regions in search of Sir John Franklin. 2 vols, London 1852 Volume 1, Volume 2
  • The British Ferns. In 1860.
  • Viti. London 1862.
  • Flora vitiensis. London 1862 ff
  • Dottings of the roadside. London 1868
  • The history of the Isthmus of Panama. Panama in 1867, 2nd edition
Hanover Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie International Plant Names Index Integrated Authority File
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