Jens Wilken Hornemann
Encyclopedia
Jens Wilken Hornemann was a Danish
botanist.
from 1801. After the death of Martin Vahl
in 1804, the task of publishing the Flora Danica
was given to Hornemann, who subsequently issued fasc. 22-39 (1801–1840) with a total of 1080 plates.
J.W. Hornemann was professor of botany
at the University of Copenhagen
from 1808 and director of the Botanic Garden
(from 1817). In 1815, he was elected a corresponding member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
, and in 1816, his status was changed to that of foreign member.
have been named in his honour, however for reasons of taxonomy
and nomenclature
all names are today synonyms. Hornemannia Willd. (1809), once placed in Scrophulariaceae
, contained on two species, both of which are now referred to other genera (one to the genus Mazus
Lour. (1790) and the other to Lindernia All. (1766)). This fact prohibits the use of the names Hornemannia Vahl
(1810) for the Caribbean
genus of Ericaceae
(now to be called Symphysia C.B. Presl (1827)) and Hornemannia Benth. (1846) for the East Asia
tic genus of Scrophulariaceae
(now to be called Ellisiophyllum Maxim. (1871)).
He is also commemorated in the specific epethets for the bird
Carduelis hornemanni (Arctic Redpoll), the flowering plant
Epilobium hornemannii
Rchb.
(Hornemann's willowherb) and the agaric fungus
Stropharia hornemannii
(Fr.) S. Lundell & Nannf. (1934).
was a frequent visitor in Hornemann's home in Copenhagen
. Andersen used him as model for "the Professor of Botany", who understands the gestures of the flowers, in the tale "Little Ida's Flowers".
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...
botanist.
Biography
He was a lecturer at the University of Copenhagen Botanical GardenUniversity of Copenhagen Botanical Garden
The University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden , usually referred to simply as Copenhagen Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark...
from 1801. After the death of Martin Vahl
Martin Vahl (botanist)
Martin Henrichsen Vahl was a Danish-Norwegian botanist and zoologist.He studied botany in Copenhagen and in Uppsala under Carolus Linnaeus. He edited Flora Danica fasc. XVI-XXI , Symbolæ Botanicæ I-III , Eclogæ Americanæ I-IV and Enumeratio Plantarum I-II...
in 1804, the task of publishing the Flora Danica
Flora Danica
A product of The Age of Enlightenment, Flora Danica is a comprehensive atlas of botany, containing folio-sized pictures of all the wild plants native to Denmark, in the period from 1761-1883....
was given to Hornemann, who subsequently issued fasc. 22-39 (1801–1840) with a total of 1080 plates.
J.W. Hornemann was professor of botany
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...
at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
from 1808 and director of the Botanic Garden
University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden
The University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden , usually referred to simply as Copenhagen Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark...
(from 1817). In 1815, he was elected a corresponding member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
, and in 1816, his status was changed to that of foreign member.
Honours
Several plant generaGenus
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...
have been named in his honour, however for reasons of taxonomy
Plant taxonomy
Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, describes, classifies, identifies, and names plants. It thus is one of the main branches of taxonomy.Plant taxonomy is closely allied to plant systematics, and there is no sharp boundary between the two...
and nomenclature
Biological classification
Biological classification, or scientific classification in biology, is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type, such as genus or species. Biological classification is part of scientific taxonomy....
all names are today synonyms. Hornemannia Willd. (1809), once placed in Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
, contained on two species, both of which are now referred to other genera (one to the genus Mazus
Mazus
Mazus is a genus of low-growing perennial plants in the lopseed family, Phrymaceae. Consisting of around 30 species, this genus is generally found in damp habitats in lowland or mountain regions of China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand....
Lour. (1790) and the other to Lindernia All. (1766)). This fact prohibits the use of the names Hornemannia Vahl
Martin Vahl
Martin Henrichsen Vahl was a Danish-Norwegian botanist and zoologist.He studied botany in Copenhagen and in Uppsala under Carolus Linnaeus. He edited Flora Danica fasc. XVI-XXI , Symbolæ Botanicæ I-III , Eclogæ Americanæ I-IV and Enumeratio Plantarum I-II...
(1810) for the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
genus of Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
(now to be called Symphysia C.B. Presl (1827)) and Hornemannia Benth. (1846) for the East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
tic genus of Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
(now to be called Ellisiophyllum Maxim. (1871)).
He is also commemorated in the specific epethets for the bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
Carduelis hornemanni (Arctic Redpoll), the flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
Epilobium hornemannii
Epilobium
Epilobium is a genus in the family Onagraceae, containing about 160-200 species of flowering plants with a worldwide distribution. They are generally abundant in the subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, whereas in the subtropics and tropics they are restricted to the cool montane biomes,...
Rchb.
Ludwig Reichenbach
Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach was a German botanist and ornithologist.He was the son of Johann Friedrich Jakob Reichenbach, the author in 1818 of the first Greek-German dictionary. He was the father of Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, equally a botanist and an eminent orchid...
(Hornemann's willowherb) and the agaric fungus
Agaricales
The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...
Stropharia hornemannii
Stropharia
The genus Stropharia is a group of medium to large agarics with a distinct membranous ring on the stipe. The scientific name is derived from the Greek 'στροφος/strophos' meaning "belt", in reference to it...
(Fr.) S. Lundell & Nannf. (1934).
Private life
Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
was a frequent visitor in Hornemann's home in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. Andersen used him as model for "the Professor of Botany", who understands the gestures of the flowers, in the tale "Little Ida's Flowers".