Karl Friedrich Reiche facts for kids
Karl Friedrich Reiche (also known as Carlos Reiche in Spanish) was a German scientist who studied plants. He was born on October 31, 1860, and passed away on February 26, 1929. Karl Reiche worked as a university professor, teaching about plants in countries like Chile and Mexico.
Contents
Karl Reiche's Life Story
Karl Reiche was born in a city called Dresden in Germany. He was a very smart student and earned his highest degree, a doctorate, in 1885 from Leipzig University.
Early Career and Teaching
After finishing his studies, Karl Reiche became a professor. A professor is a teacher at a university. He taught in Dresden from 1886 to 1889. Then, he moved to Constitución, Chile, where he taught from 1889 to 1896.
Working in Chile
In 1896, Karl Reiche moved to Santiago, the capital of Chile. He became the head of the plant section at the Chilean National Museum of Natural History. This museum is a place where scientists study nature and history. He worked there until 1911.
While at the museum, he wrote many important books about the plants of Chile. One big project was called Estudios críticos de la Flora de Chile. This means "Critical Studies of the Flora of Chile." He wrote six volumes of this work, but it was never fully finished. He also wrote about many plant families for a famous book series called Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien.
Later Years and Return to Mexico
After leaving Chile, Karl Reiche moved to Mexico in 1911. He became a professor of botany at the National School of Higher Studies. Botany is the study of plants.
In 1924, he moved to Munich, Germany. There, he worked as an independent researcher at the State Botanical Collection. This is a large collection of plants used for scientific study.
In 1926, he went back to Mexico to finish some of his plant studies. In 1928, he worked at the Munich Botanical Garden. Karl Reiche passed away in Munich in 1929.
Plants and Animals Named After Him
Because of his important work, several plants and even a frog were named in his honor!
- The plant group Reichea, which is now called Myrcianthes, belongs to the Myrtaceae family.
- A type of cactus called Reicheocactus is named after him.
- A plant group called Reicheella from the Caryophyllaceae family also carries his name.
- Even a small frog, Arthroleptis reichei, sometimes called 'Reiche's squeaker', was named after him.
Karl Reiche's Books
Karl Reiche wrote many books and papers about plants. Here are some of his important works:
- Grundzüge der Pflanzenverbreitung in Chile (1907): This book was about how plants are spread across Chile.
- Estudios críticos de la Flora de Chile (1894–1911): This was his major work on the plants of Chile.
- La vegetación de los alrededores de la capital de México (1924): This book described the plants found around Mexico City.
- Flora excursoria en el Valle Central de México (1926): This guide was for exploring the plants in the Central Valley of Mexico.
See also
In Spanish: Karl Friedrich Reiche para niños
