Famous Botanists from Germany

Reference
Updated October 14, 2018189 items

List of notable or famous botanists from Germany, with bios and photos, including the top botanists born in Germany and even some popular botanists who immigrated to Germany. If you're trying to find out the names of famous German botanists then this list is the perfect resource for you. These botanists are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known botanist from Germany is included when available.

This list is made up of many different people, including Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Peter Simon Pallas.

This historic botanists from Germany list can help answer the questions "Who are some German botanists of note?" and "Who are the most famous botanists from Germany?" These prominent botanists of Germany may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected German botanists.

Use this list of renowned German botanists to discover some new botanists that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
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  • Maria Sibylla Merian

    Maria Sibylla Merian

    Dec. at 69 (1647-1717)
    • Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany
    Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 1647 – 13 January 1717) was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family. Merian was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly. Merian received her artistic training from her stepfather, Jacob Marrel, a student of the still life painter Georg Flegel. Merian published her first book of natural illustrations in 1675. She had started to collect insects as an adolescent and at age thirteen she raised silk worms. In 1679 Merian published the first volume of a two-volume series on caterpillars, the second volume followed in 1683. Each volume contained 50 plates engraved and etched by Merian. Merian documented evidence on the process of metamorphosis and the plant hosts of 186 European insect species. Along with the illustrations Merian included a descriptions of their life cycles. In 1699 Merian travelled to Dutch Surinam to study and record the tropical insects. In 1705 she published Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium. Few colour images of the New World were printed before 1700 and thus Merian's Metamorphosis has been credited with influencing a range of naturalist illustrators. Because of her careful observations and documentation of the metamorphosis of the butterfly, she is considered by David Attenborough to be among the most significant contributors to the field of entomology. She was a leading entomologist of her time and she discovered many new facts about insect life through her studies.
  • Ferdinand von Mueller

    Ferdinand von Mueller

    Dec. at 71 (1825-1896)
    • Birthplace: Rostock, Germany
    Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (German: Müller) (30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria by Governor Charles La Trobe in 1853, and later director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. He also founded the National Herbarium of Victoria. He named many Australian plants.
  • Henri Dutrochet

    Henri Dutrochet

    Dec. at 70 (1776-1847)
    • Birthplace: Poitou
    René Joachim Henri Dutrochet (14 November 1776 – 4 February 1847) was a French physician, botanist and physiologist. He is best known for his investigation into osmosis.
  • Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz

    Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz

    Dec. at 37 (1793-1831)
    • Birthplace: Tartu, Estonia
    Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz (1 November 1793 – 7 May 1831) was a Baltic German physician, naturalist, and entomologist. He was one of the earliest scientific explorers of the Pacific region, making significant collections of flora and fauna in Alaska, California, and Hawaii.
  • Jacob Theodor Klein

    Jacob Theodor Klein

    Dec. at 73 (1685-1759)
    • Birthplace: Königsberg, Germany
    Jacob Theodor Klein (nickname Plinius Gedanensium; 15 August 1685 – 27 February 1759) was a German jurist, historian, botanist, zoologist, mathematician and diplomat in service of Polish King August II the Strong.
  • Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg

    Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg

    Dec. at 81 (1795-1876)
    • Birthplace: Delitzsch, Germany
    Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (19 April 1795 – 27 June 1876), German naturalist, zoologist, comparative anatomist, geologist, and microscopist, was one of the most famous and productive scientists of his time. Ehrenberg was an evangelist.