Johann Otto Böckeler

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Johann Otto Böckeler , also called Boeckeler and Böckler , (* July 12, 1803 in Hanover , † March 5, 1899 in Varel ) was a German pharmacist , botanist and mineralogist . Its official botanical author's abbreviation is “ Boeckeler. “He put on an extensive collection of sour grass plants (Cyperaceae) and, in addition to various other scientific interests, was considered an expert on this family of plants.

Life

Böckeler was born the son of a master belt maker in Hanover and first learned pharmacy at the Löwen pharmacy in Hildesheim . After a three-year conditioning period in Altona , he then studied at the University of Göttingen , where, in addition to special pharmaceutical subjects, he mainly devoted himself to botany , zoology and mineralogy . After completing his studies, he worked for a year as a provisional in the Hoffschläger pharmacy in Bremen and joined the Alte Apotheke in Varel in 1827 , which was particularly prompted by his interest in the coastal flora. In 1828 he passed the state examination in Oldenburg and in 1829, through his marriage to the daughter of his deceased predecessor Toel, became the owner of the Varel pharmacy, which he ran for three decades. After the death of his wife (the marriage remained childless) he sold the pharmacy in 1857 in order to devote himself entirely to his botanical inclinations.

As early as the 1930s, Böckeler had mainly collected coastal plants and significantly enriched his knowledge of the Oldenburg flora by discovering a number of species. By collecting, exchanging and buying as well as specifying specimens , he built an exemplary herbarium with finally 14,500 species and 1,600 sour grass plants (Cyperaceae). He thus owned a collection that even universities could not have at the time. Since the middle of the fifties he made the sour grass plants his preferred subject of study and therefore neglected further research into the Oldenburg flora. His publications from 1855 refer exclusively to this area, which essentially comprises the two genera Carex ( sedges ) and Cyperus ( sedge grass ) and which are among the most species-rich in the world. Böckeler's important collection and comparative studies with the Royal Collections in Berlin soon enabled him not only to write essays about his own research on newly discovered plants, but also to correct the work of other authors. The result of these studies was his trend-setting main work Die Cyperaceen des Königlichen Herbarium zu Berlin (1868–1877), which consists of 1620 pages of text with descriptions of plants in Latin. Böckeler was soon regarded as the best cyperacea connoisseur in the botanical world and received plants from all parts of the world for assessment. He proceeded extremely conscientiously with the determinations and, even in old age, did not shy away from the often laborious preparation of individual parts of the plant. He was supported by his excellent memory and his extensive herbarium as a reference object. He left over fifty articles to the botanical world, which he mainly published in botanical journals and yearbooks in Germany and Scandinavia. In addition to botanical studies, Böckeler also dealt with mineralogy and geology , built up a valuable collection of minerals and palaeontology, and gave lectures on chemical, botanical and geological topics in the Vareler sociable-literary association. Due to his zeal for work and the multitude of his scientific areas of interest, Böckeler withdrew more and more from the public in old age.

Honors

The plant genus Boeckeleria T.Durand and the type Bulbostylis boeckeleriana (Schweinf.) Beetle from the plant family of Cyperaceae (Cyperaceae) were named after Böckeler.

In 1897 he was awarded the Golden Medal for Art and Science of the Grand Duchy by Grand Duke Peter II .

Works (selection)

  • The Cyperaceae of the Royal Herbarium in Berlin. Published in: Linnaea. Issue 35, 1868. Issue 41, 1877.
  • Cyperaceae novae. 2 vols. Varel. 1888 and 1890.
  • Botany. As part of Karl Klaus von der Decken's travels in East Africa. Vol. 3. Section 3. Edited a. a. by Paul Friedrich August Ascherson . 1879.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lotte Burkhardt: Directory of eponymous plant names . Extended Edition. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Free University Berlin Berlin 2018. [1]
  2. ↑ The Eponym Dictionary of Southern African Plants Plant Names A – B (in English)
  3. ↑ The Plant List entry: Bulbostylis boeckeleriana (Schweinf.) Beetle (in English)
  4. ^ WorldCat Title

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Böckeler, Johann Otto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Böckeler, Johann; Boeckeler, Johann Otto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pharmacist, botanist and mineralogist
DATE OF BIRTH July 12, 1803
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanover
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 1899
Place of death Varel