Hjalmar Kiærskou facts for kids

Hjalmar Frederik Christian Kiærskou (born August 6, 1835, in Copenhagen – died March 18, 1900) was a Danish botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Sometimes, his name is also spelled Hjalmar Kiaerskov.

Hjalmar Kiærskou was the son of a famous landscape artist named Frederik Christian Jakobsen Kiærskou. In 1862, Hjalmar earned a special science degree called a Magister.

Who Was Hjalmar Kiærskou?

Hjalmar Kiærskou spent most of his life working with plants and science. He held many important jobs during his career.

Early Life and Education

After finishing his studies, Hjalmar started working at the University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden in 1861. This is a place where many different plants are grown and studied. From 1875 to 1883, he was in charge of the botanical library, which held many books about plants. In 1873, he married his cousin, Margrethe Olivia Gindrup.

His Work with Plants

In 1883, Hjalmar became an inspector at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. This museum collects and studies natural things, including plants. For many years, from 1869 to 1893, he helped edit a science magazine called Botanisk Tidsskrift. He also taught at different schools. From 1882 to 1889, he taught a special course at Denmark's Teacher's College. In 1882, he also taught at a technical school. He even worked in a chemistry lab from 1876 to 1883.

Describing New Plants

Hjalmar Kiærskou was very good at describing new types of plants. He wrote scientific descriptions for many plants, especially from the families called Lythraceae and Myrtaceae. These plants came from places like Spain and Brazil.

Working with Farm Plants

He also worked with another scientist named Samsøe Lund. Together, they wrote a detailed book about different kinds of plants that people grow, like cabbage, beet, and rapeseed. This book looked at all the different forms of these important farm plants.

How Scientists Refer to Him

When botanists talk about plants that Hjalmar Kiærskou discovered or described, they use a special short name for him. This name is Kiaersk. It helps other scientists know who first identified a plant.

Important Books and Writings

Here are some of the important books and papers Hjalmar Kiærskou wrote:

• 1884: En monografisk skildring af havekaalens, rybsens og rapsens kulturformer (This was the book he wrote with Samsøe Lund about cultivated cabbage, beet, and rapeseed.)
• 1890: Myrtaceae ex India occidentali a dominis Eggers, Krug, Sintenis, Stahl aliisque collectae (This book was about Myrtaceae plants collected from the West Indies.)
• 1893: Enumeratio Myrtacearum Brasiliensium quas collegerunt viri doctissimi Glaziou, Lund, Mendona, Raben, Reinhardt, Schenck, Warming aliique. (This was a list of Myrtaceae plants collected in Brazil by many different scientists.)