Theodor von Heldreich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theodor von Heldreich
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | March 3, 1822 Munich, German
|
| Died | September 7, 1902 (aged 80) Athens, Greece
|
| Resting place | First Cemetery of Athens |
| Nationality | German, Greek |
| Citizenship | German (1822-1902) Greek (1851-1902) |
| Alma mater | University of Montpellier |
| Known for | Botanical Classification Greek Flora |
| Spouse(s) | Sofia Katakouzinos |
| Children | Karolina Kieseritzky Ioannna Mindler |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | National Garden of Athens National Historical Museum |
| Doctoral advisors | Michel Félix Dunal |
| Influences | Xaver Landerer Charles Darwin |
| Influenced | Theodoros G. Orphanides |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Heldr |
Theodor Heinrich Hermann von Heldreich (born March 3, 1822 – died September 7, 1902) was a German botanist. He was born in Dresden, Germany. In 1851, he moved to Greece and lived there for the rest of his life.
Heldreich was a very important scientist who studied plants. He published many books about plants found in Greece. He also worked as the director of the National Garden of Athens for over 50 years. He was also in charge of the natural history museum in Athens. Theodor von Heldreich was good friends with the famous scientist Charles Darwin.
Contents
The Life of Theodor von Heldreich
Theodor von Heldreich came from an old noble family. His parents were Conrad Friedrich Robert Heldreich and Amalia Charlotte Humbold. He first studied philosophy, which is about big ideas and how we think.
But his true passion was botany, the study of plants. So, in 1837, he went to Montpellier to study plants. He learned from a professor named Michel Félix Dunal. He continued his plant studies in Geneva from 1838 to 1842.
Early Discoveries and Travels
In 1841, a famous botanist named Pierre Edmond Boissier honored Heldreich. He named a group of plants, called a genus, Heldreichia after him. These plants are found in places like Palestine and Turkey.
Heldreich's first trip to study plants was to Sicily. After this trip, he published his first work about three new plant species he found there.
From 1843 to 1848, he traveled a lot. He explored Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, and Crete. In 1849 and 1850, he lived in England. Then, for a year, he lived in Paris. There, he helped manage a collection of dried plants (called a herbarium) for P. Barker Webb.
Life in Greece and Major Work
In 1851, Heldreich decided to live permanently in Greece. He spent his time studying plants there very carefully. He published thirteen large books called “Herbarium Graecum Normale” between 1856 and 1896. These books were a huge collection of Greek plants.
In Greece, he became the director of the court garden for more than 50 years. He also directed the natural history museum. At the museum, he helped create new sections for studying animals (zoology) and ancient life forms (paleontology), in addition to plants.
In 1862, Heldreich met John Stuart Mill in Athens. Mill was a famous thinker who was traveling through Greece. He was collecting plant samples with his stepdaughter, Helen Taylor (feminist). Heldreich and Mill talked about identifying plants and traded their collections. Their meeting is recorded in Mill's notes.
Some of the plant samples collected by John Stuart Mill are now kept at the National Herbarium of Victoria in Australia. Among these samples are many plants that Heldreich collected, especially from the Attica and Crete regions of Greece.
Heldreich was very successful in finding new plants. He discovered seven new groups of plants (genera) and 700 new plant species. About 70 of these new species were named after him!
Teaching and Family Life
Between 1880 and 1883, Theodor von Heldreich taught natural history to the children of the Greek royal family.
In 1855, he married Sofia Katakouzinos. She was the granddaughter of a Greek scholar named Konstantinos Koumas. Theodor and Sofia had two daughters. Their daughter Karolina married Gangolf von Kieseritzky, who worked at a museum in St. Petersburg. Their other daughter, Ioanna, married Mark Mindler, a lawyer.
Theodor von Heldreich passed away in Athens on September 7, 1902. His grave can be found in the First Cemetery of Athens.
Standard Author Abbreviation
When botanists write about plants, they often use a short form of the author's name. For Theodor von Heldreich, the standard abbreviation is
.
Important Books and Writings
Theodor von Heldreich wrote many scientific papers and books. He published them in Greek, Latin, German, Italian, and French. Here are some of his notable works:
- “Ueber Griechische Arbutus Arten” (1844) - About Greek strawberry trees.
- “Catalogus Plantarum Hispanicarum in Provincia Giennensi” (1850) - A list of plants from a region in Spain.
- “Ueber die neue arkadische Tanne” (1860) - About a new fir tree from Arcadia.
- “Descriptio specierum novarum” (1860) - Descriptions of new species.
- “Die Nutzpflanzen Griechenlands” (Athens 1862) - About useful plants in Greece.
- “Sertulum plantarum novarum vel. minus cognitarum Florae Hellenicae” (Florence 1876) - A collection of new or less known plants from Greece.
- “La Faune de la Grèce” (Athens 1878) - About the animals of Greece.
- “Der Asphodelos, ein griechisches Pflanzenbild” (Berlin 1881) - About the Asphodel plant, a Greek plant picture.
- “Flore de l’ile de Céphalonie” (Lausanne 1883) - About the plants of Cephalonia island.
- “On a Botanical Excursion in Attica” (Athens 1883) - About a plant trip in Attica.
- “The Flora of Mt. Parnassus” (Athens 1890) - About the plants on Mount Parnassus.
- “Homeric Flora” (Athens 1896) - About plants mentioned in Homer's ancient poems.
- “The Flora of Aegina” (Athens, 1898) - About the plants of Aegina island.
- “The Flora of Thera” (Athens 1899) - About the plants of Thera (Santorini) island.
- “On the Plants Providing Greek Tea” (Athens 1900) - About plants used for Greek tea.
He also wrote some non-scientific works, like a story called “Mussinitza” in 1880.
Plants and Animals Named After Heldreich
Many plants and even some animals have been named in honor of Theodor von Heldreich. This is a way to recognize his important contributions to science.
- The plant genus Heldreichia (found in Turkey).
- Plant species like Acer heldreichii (a maple tree), Allium heldreichii (a type of onion), Pinus heldreichii (a pine tree), and Ramonda heldreichii (a flowering plant).
- The praying mantis Ameles heldreichi.
- The grasshopper Glyphotmethis heldreichi.
