Eduard August von Regel
Encyclopedia
Eduard August von Regel was a German
horticulturalist
and botanist. He ended his career serving as the Director of the Russian Imperial Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg
. As a result of naturalist
s and explorers sending back biological collections, Regel was able to describe and name many previously unknown species from frontiers around the world.
.
He began his career at the Royal Garden Limonaia in Gotha and then went as a volunteer to the botanical garden
in Göttingen
. He later worked at gardens in Bonn
and Berlin
. In 1842 he moved to Switzerland to become the head of the Old Botanical Garden, Zürich. During this time he also worked as a Professor of science. In 1852 he founded the magazine "Gartenflora" (Garden Flora), in which he described many new species.
In 1855 he moved to St. Petersburg, Russia where he initially worked as a research director and later as senior botanist at the Imperial Botanical Garden
. From 1875 until his death in 1892 he served as the director of the Imperial Botanical Garden. While there he oversaw the creation of some of the gardens (e.g. the Admiralty garden) and the facility laboratory. He was a founder and vice-president of the Russian Gardening Society and a number of academic journal
s. In 1875 he became an associate member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
In 1892 he was buried at the Smolenskoe Lutheran Cemetery in St. Petersburg.
and Asia as Russian Geographical Society expeditions where active in this area during his tenure at the Imperial Botanical Gardens in St. Petersburg.
Regelia
in honor of Regel. It is a group of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae
which are endemic to the southwest Australia
. In 1854 Planchon named a species of Cestrum regeli (Potato family) after him.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
horticulturalist
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and botanist. He ended his career serving as the Director of the Russian Imperial Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden
The Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden, also known as the Botanic Gardens of the Komarov Botanical Institute or the Komarov Botanical Garden, is the oldest botanical garden in Russia, consisting of outdoor and rich indoor collections, which is situated on Aptekarsky Island in Saint Petersburg and...
. As a result of naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
s and explorers sending back biological collections, Regel was able to describe and name many previously unknown species from frontiers around the world.
History
Regel earned degrees from the Gott Gymnasium in Germany and from the University of BonnUniversity of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
.
He began his career at the Royal Garden Limonaia in Gotha and then went as a volunteer to the botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. He later worked at gardens in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1842 he moved to Switzerland to become the head of the Old Botanical Garden, Zürich. During this time he also worked as a Professor of science. In 1852 he founded the magazine "Gartenflora" (Garden Flora), in which he described many new species.
In 1855 he moved to St. Petersburg, Russia where he initially worked as a research director and later as senior botanist at the Imperial Botanical Garden
Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden
The Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden, also known as the Botanic Gardens of the Komarov Botanical Institute or the Komarov Botanical Garden, is the oldest botanical garden in Russia, consisting of outdoor and rich indoor collections, which is situated on Aptekarsky Island in Saint Petersburg and...
. From 1875 until his death in 1892 he served as the director of the Imperial Botanical Garden. While there he oversaw the creation of some of the gardens (e.g. the Admiralty garden) and the facility laboratory. He was a founder and vice-president of the Russian Gardening Society and a number of academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
s. In 1875 he became an associate member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
In 1892 he was buried at the Smolenskoe Lutheran Cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Plants named by him
During the course of his life, Regel described and named over 3000 new plant species. Many of the plants he named were from the Russian Far EastRussian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
and Asia as Russian Geographical Society expeditions where active in this area during his tenure at the Imperial Botanical Gardens in St. Petersburg.
Plants named for him
In 1843, J.C.Schauer named the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Regelia
Regelia
Regelia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. This genus is composed of six species of small leaved, evergreen shrubs and trees that are endemic to Australia. Five of the six species are endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The sixth species that has been assigned to...
in honor of Regel. It is a group of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
which are endemic to the southwest Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 1854 Planchon named a species of Cestrum regeli (Potato family) after him.
Publications
Regel was an extremely prolific scientist and author. In addition to writing a number of major reference works in botany, he published an amazing 3,101 articles in academic journals.Selected publications
- Allgemeines Gartenbuch (General garden book) 2 Vols., Zurich 1855, 1868
- Monographia Betulacearum (in: Nouveaux Mémoires de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou 13: 59-187, 1861)
- Tentamen florae ussuriensis (Tentamen flora of the Ussuri River Region), 1861
- Alliorum adhuc cognitorum monographia, 1875
- Tentamen rosarum monographiae (Monograph of Roses), 1877
Associates
- Richard MaackRichard MaackRichard Otto Maack was a 19th century Russian naturalist, geographer, and anthropologist. He is most known for his exploration of the Russian Far East and Siberia, particularly the Ussuri and Amur River valleys...
Russian botanist, co-author, naturalist, and Siberian explorer. - Johann Albert von Regel (1845–1908; oldest son) Swiss born Russian Physician, botanist, traveler.