Alexander Curt Brade (1881–1971) was a German botanist who specialized in the study of the

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

and

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s of Brazil and Costa Rica. Born on 19 June 1881 at Forst (Lausitz), Brade studied architecture at Görlitz in Silesia, but became increasingly interested in botany. After working for several years in Germany as an architect and construction engineer, he accepted an invitation to join his brother Alfred, who lived in San Jose, Costa Rica, and owned a horticultural business in Europe. Arriving at

Puerto Limon Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

in January 1908, Brade embarked on plant hunting expeditions along the Atlantic coast. Over the next two and a half years, he collected about 500 plant species, however much of his collection was to be destroyed in the bombing of the Berlin-Dahlem Museum in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

before it was classified. Not wishing to return to Germany and its cold winters, Brade joined another relative in Brazil in 1910, where he again worked in construction, botanizing in his spare time. After an unsuccessful venture into farming, he accepted a post with the National Museum. Brade later moved to the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, where he rose to Acting Superintendent in 1934, ultimately becoming Head of the Department of Systemic Botany. Retiring in 1952, Brade returned to São Paulo, where he built a home and dedicated himself to the classification of the ferns and ''

Melastomataceae Melastomataceae () is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs ...

'' he had collected. He wrote 86 papers published in various scientific journals, and in 1958 was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit 'D. João VI' on the 150th anniversary of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro.Pabst, G. F. J. (1967). Alexandre (sic) Curt Brade. ''Taxon'', vol. 16, 161–167, June 1967.

Eponymy

* '' Bradea'' Standl., a genus in the family

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

* '' Zygostates bradei'' (

Schltr. Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter (16 October 1872 – 16 November 1925) was a German taxonomist, botanist, and author of several works on orchids. He went on botanical expeditions in Africa, Indonesia, New Guinea, South and Central America an ...

) Garay, an orchid species

Selected publications

* Brade, A. C. "Herbarium Costaricense"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brade, Alexander Curt Brade, Alexander Curt Brade, Alexander Curt 20th-century German botanists German expatriates in Costa Rica German expatriates in Brazil