Christen Smith
Christian Smith ( born October 17, 1785 Skoger in Drammen, † September 22 1816 on the river Congo ) was a Norwegian botanist and explorer. His botanical author abbreviation is " C.Sm. "; earlier was also the abbreviation " Chr.Sm. " in use.
Life and work
Christian Smith was the son of a Norwegian landowner. He was initially trained in Kongsberg and studied at the University of Copenhagen medicine. After graduating, he worked from 1810 to 1811 at Frederiks Hospital of Copenhagen. During his studies Smith became interested in botany under the influence of Martin Vahl and Jens Wilken Hornemann ( 1770-1841 ). Together with Horne and Martin Petrovich Wormskiold (1783-1845) he undertook in 1808 an excursion in the Norwegian mountains, which he continued alone due to the broken- Danish - Swedish war, during which he collected numerous new mosses and other plants that it in scientific circles made known. In the summer of 1812 he undertook with Joakim Frederik Schouw a second excursion into the mountains almost unexplored regions of Telemark and Hallingdal, which further cemented his reputation as a naturalist.
In 1814 he was appointed professor of botany and agriculture at the University of Oslo. Shortly before Smith had inherited after the death of his father some assets which he wanted to use for the study of nature in other countries. His first trip abroad led him to Britain, he toured extensively until the end of the year. In the house of Joseph Banks Smith became acquainted with many of the leading naturalists, including the geologist Leopold von Buch. Together with breakage Smith was planning a trip to Madeira and the Canary Islands.
From Portsmouth from both sailed on board the William and Mary to Madeira, where they landed in Funchal on April 21, 1815. After a two week stay they left on May 2, 1815 Madeira with the aim of La Orotava, on the Canary island of Tenerife, where they arrived three days later. During his ascent of Mount Teide Smith realized that there must be at the jaw growth to a still undescribed type that he called the Canary Island pine. From San Cristóbal de La Laguna took two field trips to explore the surroundings in which Smith among other numerous succulent plants collected, including Sempervivum urbicum, Sempervivum aureum and Aichryson punctatum. From Santa Cruz to continue their journey with a visit to the island of Gran Canaria. Smith collected here the previously unknown plant species Hypericum coadunatum and Micromeria lanata. After a stay in Lanzarote they left on 27 October 1815, the Canary Islands and returned to Britain.
Soon after his return, Smith was asked by Joseph Banks to participate in the expedition of James Kingston Tuckey, which should explore with the steam ship HMS Congo River Congo. During this trip, Smith became seriously ill and died on 22 September 1816. Planned by his treatment of the data collected during the trip to the Canary Islands plant material took over after his death, among others, Heinrich Friedrich Link, Christoph Friedrich Otto, Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck and Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. The majority of the herbarium of Smith is in the British Museum.
Ehrentaxa
Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1824 named him in honor of the genus Christiana the mallow. Numerous plant species are named after him, such as Bystropogon smithii, Dactylis smithii smithii and Polycarpaea.
Writings
Posthumously published:
- Narrative of an expedition to explore the river Zaire Benthic, usually called the Congo: in South Africa, in 1816, under the direction of Captain JK Tuckey, R.N. To Which is added, the journal of Professor Smith; and some general observations on the country and its Inhabitants. J. Murray: London 1818 online.
- Professor C. Smith's Dagbog paa en travel til i Congo Africa. Christiania 1819
- Professor Christian Smith's Dagbog paa Travel til de Canariske Øer i 1815. Christiania 1889 (Edited by Frantz Casper Kiær )