Leopold Loeske (24 October 1865, Hohensalza – 29 March 1935,

Bad Harzburg Bad Harzburg (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Bad Harzborch'') is a spa town in central Germany, in the Goslar (district), Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa ...

) was a German watchmaker and amateur bryologist. A skilled watchmaker, he was self-taught as a bryologist, collecting moss specimens in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

during his career. Following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he spent eight years working as a correspondent for a commercial institution due to financial struggles.JSTOR Global Plants
(biography) He joined the

British Bryological Society The British Bryological Society is an academic society dedicated to bryology, which encourages the study of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts). It publishes the peer-reviewed ''Journal of Bryology''. History The Society developed from ...

in 1934. He died at Bad Harzburg while on a collection excursion in the

Harz Mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...

.Moosflora der Schweiz
History of Bryology in Switzerland, source Harvard Index of Botanists, Frahm & Eggers 2001 S. 290-293.
Grimmiology The

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

genera ''Loeskeobryum'' ( M.Fleisch. ex Broth. 1925) and ''

Loeskypnum ''Loeskypnum'' is a genus of mosses belonging to the family Amblystegiaceae. The species of this genus are found in Eurasia and Northern America. The genus name of ''Loeskypnum'' is in honour of Leopold Loeske (1865-1935), who was a German watch ...

'' (H.K.G.Paul, 1916) are both named in his honor.

Published works

He was the author of 70 published works, including a highly regarded monograph on European

Grimmiaceae Grimmiaceae is a family (biology), family of mosses in the order Grimmiales. Genera World Flora Online lists the following genera: * ''Bucklandiella'' * ''Codriophorus'' * ''Coscinodon'' * ''Grimmia'' * ''Guembelia'' * ''Leucoperichaetium' ...

, "''Monographie der europäischen Grimmiaceen''" (1930). Other books by Loeske include: * ''Moosflora des Harzes'', 1903 - Mosses of the

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...

. * ''Studien zur vergleichenden morphologie und phylogonetischen systematik der laubmoose''. 1910 - Studies involving

comparative morphology Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

and

phylogenetic systematics Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

of mosses. * ''Die Laubmoose Europas''. I, Grimmiaceae, 1913 - Mosses of Europe, Grimmiaceae. * ''Die Laubmoose Europas''. II, Funariaceae, 1914 - Mosses of Europe,

Funariaceae The Funariaceae are a family of mosses in the order Funariales Funariales is an order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categoriza ...

.Google Books
Studien zur vergleichenden morphologie und phylogonetischen systematik der laubmoose Loeske was editor of the bryological journal, ''Bryologische Zeitschrift''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeske, Leopold 1865 births 1935 deaths Watchmakers German bryologists 20th-century German botanists People from Inowrocław People from the Province of Posen 19th-century German botanists

Published works

See also

References