Christian Friedrich Ecklon
Encyclopedia
Christian Friedrich Ecklon (Åbenrå 1795 – Cape Town 1868) was a Danish
botanical
collector and apothecary.
Ecklon collected extensively in South Africa
. His first visit was in 1823, as first an apothecary's apprentice and then pharmacist, looking for plants with medicinal value. Lack of funding and a deteriorating health forced him to live in poor circumstances, selling bulbs or preparing herbal remedies. Nevertheless, when he returned to Europe in 1828, he had collected an extensive herbarium
. During his stay in Hamburg
, from 1833 to 1838, he worked on revising this collection. This herbarium would become the basis for the Flora Capensis (1860-1865) by his friend, the Hamburg pharmacist Otto Wilhelm Sonder
(1812-1881) in collaboration with the Irish botanist William Henry Harvey
(1811-1866).It was sold to which he sold to Unio Itineraria
a Württemberg Botanical Society.
Ecklon was the author, with Karl Ludwig Philipp Zeyher
who had travelled with him from 1829, of Enumeratio Plantarum Africae Australis Extratropicae (1835-7), a descriptive catalogue of South African plants. He later returned to South Africa, where he died in 1868.
The herbaria of Lehmann and Sonder in the Swedish Museum of Natural History
in Stockholm
gives special reference to the collection of Ecklon and Zeyher.
One of his pupils was Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (c.1795-1876), a German physician–botanist, who also studied South African plants.
According to IPNI
, Ecklon named a total of 1974 different genera or species.
Like many botanists he was an entomologist making collections of plant associated insects.
The genus Ecklonia
, including Ecklon's kelp (Ecklonia biruncinata or E. radiata
), as well as Ecklon's Purple Iceplant (Delosperma ecklonis
'Bright Eyes') and Ecklon's Everlasting (Helichrysum ecklonis) were named in his honour. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Eckl. when citing
a botanical name
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
botanical
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
collector and apothecary.
Ecklon collected extensively in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. His first visit was in 1823, as first an apothecary's apprentice and then pharmacist, looking for plants with medicinal value. Lack of funding and a deteriorating health forced him to live in poor circumstances, selling bulbs or preparing herbal remedies. Nevertheless, when he returned to Europe in 1828, he had collected an extensive herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
. During his stay in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, from 1833 to 1838, he worked on revising this collection. This herbarium would become the basis for the Flora Capensis (1860-1865) by his friend, the Hamburg pharmacist Otto Wilhelm Sonder
Otto Wilhelm Sonder
Otto Wilhelm Sonder was a German botanist and pharmacist who was a native of Holstein. From 1841 to 1878 he was the proprietor of a pharmacy in Hamburg. In 1846 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Königsberg.He was the author, with William Henry Harvey , of the Flora Capensis...
(1812-1881) in collaboration with the Irish botanist William Henry Harvey
William Henry Harvey
William Henry Harvey was an Irish botanist who specialised in algae.- Biography :William Henry Harvey was born at Summerville near Limerick, Ireland, in 1811, the youngest of 11 children. His father Joseph Massey Harvey, was a Quaker and prominent merchant...
(1811-1866).It was sold to which he sold to Unio Itineraria
Unio Itineraria
Unio Itineraria was a German Scientific Society.Supported by William I of Württemberg, Unio Itineraria was established to promote scientific investigation through the collection and distribution of determined plant specimens....
a Württemberg Botanical Society.
Ecklon was the author, with Karl Ludwig Philipp Zeyher
Karl Ludwig Philipp Zeyher
Karl Ludwig Philipp Zeyher , was a botanical and insect collector who collected extensively in South Africa...
who had travelled with him from 1829, of Enumeratio Plantarum Africae Australis Extratropicae (1835-7), a descriptive catalogue of South African plants. He later returned to South Africa, where he died in 1868.
The herbaria of Lehmann and Sonder in the Swedish Museum of Natural History
Swedish Museum of Natural History
The Swedish Museum of Natural History , in Stockholm, is one of two major museums of natural history in Sweden, the other one being located in Gothenburg....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
gives special reference to the collection of Ecklon and Zeyher.
One of his pupils was Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (c.1795-1876), a German physician–botanist, who also studied South African plants.
According to IPNI
IPNI
The International Plant Names Index is a database of botanical names. It indexes names of seed plants, ferns and "fern allies". Coverage is best at the rank of species and genus...
, Ecklon named a total of 1974 different genera or species.
Like many botanists he was an entomologist making collections of plant associated insects.
The genus Ecklonia
Ecklonia
Ecklonia is a genus of kelp belonging to the family Lessoniaceae.There are nine species:* Ecklonia biruncinata* Ecklonia brevipes* Ecklonia cava* Ecklonia fastigiata* Ecklonia kurome* Ecklonia maxima* Ecklonia muratii...
, including Ecklon's kelp (Ecklonia biruncinata or E. radiata
Ecklonia radiata
Ecklonia radiata is a species of kelp found in the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, Madagascar, Mauritania, Senegal, South Africa, Oman, southern Australia, Lord Howe Island, and New Zealand.-Further reading:...
), as well as Ecklon's Purple Iceplant (Delosperma ecklonis
Delosperma
Delosperma is a genus of around 100 species of succulent plants in the family Aizoaceae. The family is common in southern and eastern Africa.Species include:*Delosperma acuminatum*Delosperma bosseranum*Delosperma cooperi...
'Bright Eyes') and Ecklon's Everlasting (Helichrysum ecklonis) were named in his honour. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Eckl. when citing
Author citation (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, author citation refers to citing the person who validly published a botanical name, i.e. who first published the name while fulfilling the formal requirements as specified by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature...
a botanical name
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
.
Sources
- William H. Harvey, Otto Wilhelm Sonder, Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer (Editor). Flora Capensis: Being a Systematic Description of the Plants of the Cape Colony, Caffraria, & Port Natal (and Neighbouring Territories) (January 1900); ISBN 3768206378