Anders Fredrik Regnell (8 June 1807 – 12 September 1884) was a Swedish physician and botanist. He studied in Uppsala and received his medical doctorate in 1837. As a student he served as assistant to Anders Retzius in Stockholm. He served in various capacities at the '' Serafimerlasarettet'' in Stockholm, and participated as ship surgeon aboard the corvette "Jarramas” on its expedition in the Mediterranean Sea during 1839–40. Regnell was born in Stockholm, Sweden, but because of poor health, he suffered from a serious lung disease. He left Sweden for Brazil in 1840 and settled in Caldas, in the province of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

, where he spent the rest of his life. There Regnell acquired considerable reputation as a practicing physician and consequently a substantial fortune. Regnell made substantial collections of plants which he sent to Europe, in particular to Scandinavian museums. He also studied the Brazilian fauna and made extensive geological and meteorological observations. Having accumulated considerable wealth, he financially supported several European botanists and donated large sums to various scientific institutions at home. He bequeathed his estate to the University of Uppsala.

Honors

The plant genera of ''Regnellia'' Barb.Rodr. (a synonym of ''

Bletia ''Bletia'' is a genus of about 30 species of orchids (family Orchidaceae), almost all of which are terrestrial; some are occasionally lithophytic or epiphytic. It is named after Spanish botanist and pharmacist Don Luis Blet. The genus is wides ...

'' Ruiz & Pav.

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

,), ''

Regnellidium Regnellidium is a monotypic genus of ferns of family Marsileaceae. The single living species, ''Regnellidium diphyllum'', the two-leaf water fern, is native to southeastern Brazil and adjacent regions of Argentina. It resembles its relatives f ...

'' Lindm. (

Marsileaceae Marsileaceae () is a small family of heterosporous aquatic and semi-aquatic ferns, though at first sight they do not physically resemble other ferns. The group is commonly known as the "pepperwort family" or as the "water-clover family" becau ...

,) and '' Neoregnellia'' (family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

,) as well as many species were named in his honor. Regnell was an honorary member of the Learned Societies of Uppsala and Gothenburg, and of the Swedish and Uppsala Medical Associations. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Uppsala in 1877. Regnell died in Caldas, Brazil, and is buried in Uppsala’s old cemetery. In 1903 a memorial monument in Caldas, Brazil was dedicated to him. In Uppsala, the building housing the Dag Hammarskjöld and Law Library of the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

is named Regnellianum.

Sources

* K.V. Ossian Dahlgren ''Anders Fredrik Regnell and his Swedish guests in Brazil''. Svensk. Botan. Tidskr. 56:3, 1962. {{DEFAULTSORT:Regnell, Anders Fredrik 1807 births 1884 deaths 19th-century Swedish botanists 19th-century Swedish physicians Botanists active in South America Physicians from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Burials at Uppsala old cemetery 19th-century Brazilian physicians