Selmar Schonland
Encyclopedia
Professor Selmar Schonland (15 August 1860 Frankenhausen
, Germany
as Selmar Schönland – 22 April 1940 Grahamstown
, Cape Province), the founder of the Botany Department at Rhodes University
, was a German immigrant, who came to the Eastern Cape
in 1889 to take up an appointment as curator of the Albany Museum
. He came to Grahamstown via a doctorate at the University of Hamburg
and a post at Oxford University (1886–1889 as curator of the Fielding Herbarium and a lecturer in Botany. Working under Prof. Sir lsaac Bailey Balfour and Prof. Sydney Vines, he developed an interest in the family Crassulaceae
and contributed an account of this group to Engler & Prantl's Natürl. Pflanzenfamilien. Coming to the museum in Grahamstown gave him the opportunity to broaden his interests and develop the second largest herbarium in South Africa which had been founded by W. G. Atherstone in 1860. His father-in-law, Peter MacOwan
, had been its honorary curator from 1862 to 1869 before moving to Somerset East. When MacOwan retired from his subsequent post as director of the Cape Town
Botanical Garden
and curator of the Cape Government Herbarium, he returned to Grahamstown and assisted Schonland in the development of the local herbarium.
Schonland approached one of the Rhodes Trustees, Dr. Leander Starr Jameson
to assist in funding. Jameson, soon to be elected Member of Parliament for Albany and Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, promised £50,000 without consulting his fellow Trustees. At first they refused to confirm the grant; then, persuaded by Schonland, they made over De Beers Preference Shares to the value of £50 000 to Rhodes University College, founded by Act of Parliament on May 31, 1904. By the time Schonland retired, the Botany Department and Rhodes University had become an established centre of taxonomic research and learning in South Africa. He played a leading role in the Botanical Survey of South Africa which had been initiated by Pole Evans
.
He was a foundation member of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science, honorary member of the Geological Society of South Africa, foundation member and Fellow of the Royal Soc. of S. Afr. His name was originally spelt Schönland, but he later dropped the umlaut. He is commemorated in Schoenlandia L.Bol., Euphorbia schoenlandii Pax, Brachystelma schonlandianum Schltr. and Sebaea schoenlandii Schinz.
Selmar Schonland married Peter MacOwan
's daughter Flora in 1896 and was the father of Sir Basil Schonland
who contributed greatly to lightning research and radar development.
Bad Frankenhausen
Bad Frankenhausen is a spa town in the German state of Thuringia. It is located at the southern slope of the Kyffhäuser mountain range, on an artificial arm of the Wipper river, a tributary of the Saale. Because of the nearby Kyffhäuser monument dedicated to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, it is...
, Germany
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...
as Selmar Schönland – 22 April 1940 Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
, Cape Province), the founder of the Botany Department at Rhodes University
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
, was a German immigrant, who came to the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
in 1889 to take up an appointment as curator of the Albany Museum
Albany Museum, South Africa
The Albany Museum, South Africa is situated in Grahamstown in South Africa, is affiliated to Rhodes University and dates back to 1855, making it the second oldest museum in South Africa....
. He came to Grahamstown via a doctorate at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
and a post at Oxford University (1886–1889 as curator of the Fielding Herbarium and a lecturer in Botany. Working under Prof. Sir lsaac Bailey Balfour and Prof. Sydney Vines, he developed an interest in the family Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce...
and contributed an account of this group to Engler & Prantl's Natürl. Pflanzenfamilien. Coming to the museum in Grahamstown gave him the opportunity to broaden his interests and develop the second largest herbarium in South Africa which had been founded by W. G. Atherstone in 1860. His father-in-law, Peter MacOwan
Peter MacOwan
thumb|rightPeter MacOwan born Hull, England on 14 November 1830 - died Uitenhage, Cape Province 30 November 1909, was a British colonial botanist and teacher in South Africa....
, had been its honorary curator from 1862 to 1869 before moving to Somerset East. When MacOwan retired from his subsequent post as director of the Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
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...
and curator of the Cape Government Herbarium, he returned to Grahamstown and assisted Schonland in the development of the local herbarium.
Schonland approached one of the Rhodes Trustees, Dr. Leander Starr Jameson
Leander Starr Jameson
Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, , also known as "Doctor Jim", "The Doctor" or "Lanner", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid....
to assist in funding. Jameson, soon to be elected Member of Parliament for Albany and Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, promised £50,000 without consulting his fellow Trustees. At first they refused to confirm the grant; then, persuaded by Schonland, they made over De Beers Preference Shares to the value of £50 000 to Rhodes University College, founded by Act of Parliament on May 31, 1904. By the time Schonland retired, the Botany Department and Rhodes University had become an established centre of taxonomic research and learning in South Africa. He played a leading role in the Botanical Survey of South Africa which had been initiated by Pole Evans
Illtyd Buller Pole-Evans
Illtyd Buller Pole-Evans CMG was a Welsh-born South African botanist.-Biography:Pole-Evans was born in Llanmaes near Cardiff, the son of an Anglican clergyman, Daniel Evans and Caroline Jane Pole...
.
He was a foundation member of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science, honorary member of the Geological Society of South Africa, foundation member and Fellow of the Royal Soc. of S. Afr. His name was originally spelt Schönland, but he later dropped the umlaut. He is commemorated in Schoenlandia L.Bol., Euphorbia schoenlandii Pax, Brachystelma schonlandianum Schltr. and Sebaea schoenlandii Schinz.
Selmar Schonland married Peter MacOwan
Peter MacOwan
thumb|rightPeter MacOwan born Hull, England on 14 November 1830 - died Uitenhage, Cape Province 30 November 1909, was a British colonial botanist and teacher in South Africa....
's daughter Flora in 1896 and was the father of Sir Basil Schonland
Basil Schonland
Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland CBE FRS was the first president of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.-Birth and Parentage:...
who contributed greatly to lightning research and radar development.
Publications
- Botanical Survey of SA : Phanerogamic Flora of the Division of Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth : Memoir No.1 (1919)
- Botanical Survey of SA : South African Cyperaceae : Memoir No.3
- Revision of the South African species of Rhus : Bothalia (1930)