Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (14 February 1776 – 16 March 1858) was a prolific

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, and

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the developme ...

. He was a contemporary of

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

and was born within the lifetime of

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

. He described approximately 7,000 plant species (almost as many as Linnaeus himself). His last official act as president of the

German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (), in short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded on 1 January 1652, based on academic models in Italy, it was originally named the ''Academi ...

was to admit

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

as a member. He was the author of numerous monographs on botany and zoology and majority of his best-known works deal with

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

Biography

Nees von Esenbeck was born in

Schloss Reichenberg Reichelsheim (Odenwald) () is a municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Reichelsheim lies in the middle Odenwald at elevations between 200 and 538 m in the middle of the ''Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße ...

near

Reichelsheim (Odenwald) Reichelsheim (Odenwald) () is a municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Reichelsheim lies in the middle Odenwald at elevations between 200 and 538 m in the middle of the ''Geo-Naturpark Bergstra� ...

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, Germany. He showed an early interest in science and, after receiving his primary education in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

, went on to the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

and obtained his degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

(natural history) and

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

in 1800. He practiced as a physician for

Francis I (Erbach-Erbach) image:Erbach odenwald schloss innen 08.jpg, Antique collection in the Erbach Palace Franz Graf zu Erbach-Erbach (29 October 1754 – 8 March 1823) was a German nobility, German nobleman and art collector. Early life Franz was born in Erbach ...

, but he had developed a great interest in botany during his university studies which caused him to return to

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. In 1816, he joined the Leopoldina Academy, which was one of the most prestigious institutions in Europe. In 1817, he was appointed professor of botany at the

University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. Three years later, he became professor of natural history at the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

, where he established the

Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn The Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (6.5 hectares open to public, 3 hectares private), also known as the Botanischer Garten Bonn, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Bonn. It is located ...

. In 1831, he was appointed as a chair of botany department at the

University of Breslau A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. In 1818, he was elected president of the Leopoldina Academy. He continued as president of the academy for the rest of his life. In botany he achieved notoriety for his contributions to the families

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae () is a Family (biology), family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are Tropics, tropical Herbaceous plant, herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epip ...

and

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant Family (biology), family that includes the bay laurel, true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genus (biology), genera worldwide. They are dicotyled ...

. He also became politically active in the

German revolutions of 1848–1849 The German revolutions of 1848–1849 (), the opening phase of which was also called the March Revolution (), were initially part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many European countries. They were a series of loosely coordinated p ...

. In 1851, due to conflicts with the government, he was deprived of his professorship and pension at Breslau. Seven years later, Nees von Esenbeck died essentially penniless in Breslau. He was an older brother to botanist

Theodor Friedrich Ludwig Nees von Esenbeck Theodor Friedrich Ludwig Nees von Esenbeck (26 July 1787 – 12 December 1837) was a German botanist and pharmacologist, who was born in Schloss Reichenberg near Reichelsheim (Odenwald). He was a younger brother to naturalist Christian Gottfried ...

(1787–1837).

Eponyms

Wilhelm Kirschstein Wilhelm Kirschstein (2 October 1863 - 1946 in Groß Behnitz bei Nauen) was a German schoolteacher and mycologist. During his career, he taught classes in Rathenow and Berlin-Pankow.Myconeesia ''Myconeesia'' is a genus of fungi in the family Xylariaceae. The genus name of ''Myconeesia'' is in honour of Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (1776–1858), who was a prolific German botanist, physician, zoologist, and natural phi ...

'' in 1936, a genus of

in the family

Xylariaceae The Xylariaceae are a family of mostly small ascomycetous fungi. It is one of the most commonly encountered groups of ascomycetes and is found throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world. They are typically found on wood, seeds, f ...

. *

Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger (3 July 1876, Helgoland – 1 September 1953, Berlin) Neesiochloa ''Neesiochloa'' is a genus of Brazilian plants in the grass family. The only known species is ''Neesiochloa barbata''. It is native to eastern Brazil (Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí). The genus name of ''Neesiochloa'' is in honour of ...

'' in 1940 as a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian plants in the

grass family Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

. * Margaret Rutherford Bryan Levyns in 1947 published ''

Neesenbeckia ''Neesenbeckia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Cyperaceae. The only species is ''Neesenbeckia punctoria''. It is native to the Western Cape in South Africa. Taxonomy The genus name of ''Neesenbeckia'' is in ...

'', a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s from South Africa, belonging to the family

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

Works

* ''Die Algen des süßen Wassers, nach ihren Entwickelungsstufen dargestellt (1814) * ''Das System der Pilze und Schwämme'' (1816) * ''Vorlesungen zur Entwickelungsgeschichte des magnetischen Schlafs und Traums'' (1820) * ''Handbuch der Botanik. Band 1'' (1820
Digital edition
by the

University and State Library Düsseldorf The University and State Library Düsseldorf (, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of the three State Libraries of North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

* ''Handbuch der Botanik. Band 2'' (1821
Digital edition
by the

* ''Bryologia germanica'' (with

Christian Friedrich Hornschuch Christian Friedrich Hornschuch (21 August 1793 – 24 December 1850) was a German botanist. Biography Hornschuch was born in Rodach, Bavaria. In 1808 he started his career as an apprentice at a pharmacy in Hildburghausen. In 1813 he moved to Reg ...

und

Jacob Sturm Jacob Sturm (21 March 1771 – 28 November 1848) was a leading engraver of entomology, entomological and botany, botanical scientific publications in Germany at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. He was born and lived in Nur ...

, 1823–31, 2 Bände mit 43 Tafeln) * ''Plantarum, in Horto medico Bonnensi nutritarum, Icones selectae'' (1824
Digital edition
by the

* ''Agrostologia brasiliensis'' (1829) * ''Genera Plantarum Florae Germanicae'' (1831–1860) * ''Genera et species Asterearum'' (1833) * ''Naturgeschichte der europäischen Lebermoose mit Erinnerungen aus dem Riesengebirge'' (1833-38, 4 Bände) * ''Hymenopterorum Ichneumonibus affinium monographiae'' (1834, 2 Bände) * ''System der spekulativen Philosophie'', Band 1 *'' Systema Laurinarum'' (1836) * ''Florae Africae australioris illustration monographicae Gramineae'' (1841) * ''Die Naturphilosophie'' (1841) * ''De Cinnamomo disputatio'' (1843) * ''Synopsis hepaticarum'' (with

Carl Moritz Gottsche Carl Moritz Gottsche (3 July 1808 – 28 September 1892) was a German physician and bryology, bryologist born in Altona, Hamburg, Altona. He was the father of geologist Carl Christian Gottsche (1859-1909). Gottsche was a leading authority of Hepat ...

und Johann Lindenberg, 1844–1847) *''Die allgemeine Formenlehre der Natur'' (1852)

References

External links

* http://www.nees-von-esenbeck.de/ (German language site devoted to Nees von Esenbeck; includes extensive biography) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nees von Esenbeck, Christian Gottfried Daniel 1776 births 1858 deaths People from Odenwaldkreis German untitled nobility German religious humanists Members of the Prussian National Assembly German taxonomists Agrostologists German bryologists German pteridologists German entomologists German mycologists German phycologists 19th-century German botanists 19th-century German zoologists Botanists with author abbreviations University of Jena alumni Academic staff of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Academic staff of the University of Bonn Academic staff of the University of Breslau Presidents of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina 01 18th-century German botanists

Biography

Eponyms

Works

References

Further reading

External links