Otto Kuntze
Encyclopedia
Otto Carl Ernst Kuntze (June 23, 1843 - 1907) was a German
botanist
.
.
An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled Pocket Fauna of Leipzig. Between 1863 and
1866 he worked as tradesman in Berlin and traveled through central Europe
and Italy
. From 1868 to 1873 he had his own factory for essential oils and attained a comfortable standard of living. Between 1874 and 1876, he traveled around the world: The Caribbean
, USA, Japan
, China
, South East Asia, Arabian peninsula and Egypt
. The journal of these travels was published as "Around the World" (1881). From 1876 to 1878 he studied Natural Science in Berlin
and Leipzig
and gained his doctorate in Freiburg
with a monography of the genus Cinchona
.
He edited the botanical collection from his world voyage encompassing 7,700 specimens in Berlin and Kew Gardens. The publication came as a shock to botany, since Kuntze had entirely revised taxonomy. His three-volume treatise, Revisio Generum Plantarum
(1891) was widely rejected or deliberately ignored.
In 1886, Kuntze visited the Russian Near East and spent the 1887-1888 period on the Canary Islands
. The results of both journeys became part of his main work, the Revisio. At the beginning of the 1890s he left for South America
, of which he managed to see nearly all countries. In 1894, he visited the Southern Africa
n countries as well as the German colonies.
In the last years of his life, Kuntze moved permanently to Sanremo
(Italy). His revolutionary ideas about botanic nomenclature created a conflict at the 2nd Congress of Botany, as a result of which the doors of the academic world were closed to him. He died in Sanremo two years later.
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...
botanist
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...
.
Biography
Otto Kuntze was born in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.
An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled Pocket Fauna of Leipzig. Between 1863 and
1866 he worked as tradesman in Berlin and traveled through central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. From 1868 to 1873 he had his own factory for essential oils and attained a comfortable standard of living. Between 1874 and 1876, he traveled around the world: 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...
, USA, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, South East Asia, Arabian peninsula and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. The journal of these travels was published as "Around the World" (1881). From 1876 to 1878 he studied Natural Science in 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...
and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and gained his doctorate in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
with a monography of the genus Cinchona
Cinchona
Cinchona or Quina is a genus of about 38 species in the family Rubiaceae, native to tropical South America. They are large shrubs or small trees growing 5–15 metres in height with evergreen foliage. The leaves are opposite, rounded to lanceolate and 10–40 cm long. The flowers are white, pink...
.
He edited the botanical collection from his world voyage encompassing 7,700 specimens in Berlin and Kew Gardens. The publication came as a shock to botany, since Kuntze had entirely revised taxonomy. His three-volume treatise, Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Revis. Gen. Pl., is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze...
(1891) was widely rejected or deliberately ignored.
In 1886, Kuntze visited the Russian Near East and spent the 1887-1888 period on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. The results of both journeys became part of his main work, the Revisio. At the beginning of the 1890s he left for South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, of which he managed to see nearly all countries. In 1894, he visited the Southern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n countries as well as the German colonies.
In the last years of his life, Kuntze moved permanently to Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
(Italy). His revolutionary ideas about botanic nomenclature created a conflict at the 2nd Congress of Botany, as a result of which the doors of the academic world were closed to him. He died in Sanremo two years later.
Biographical articles
- Urban, Ignaz, Notae Biographicae, Symbolae Antillanae 3:70,1902.
- Zanoni, T.A. Otto Kuntze, Botanist. I. Biography, Bibliography and Travels. Brittonia 32: 551-571, 1980.