Peter Thonning
Peter Thonning (born October 9, 1775 in Copenhagen , † January 29, 1848 in Konferentstraad ) was a Danish botanist . Its official botanical author's abbreviation is “ Thonn. "
Life
After studying medicine, Thonning went to Danish Guinea (in present-day Ghana ) in 1799 to devote himself to plantation construction, as well as studies of natural resources and dye plants. He collected numerous specimens of West African plants, on the basis of which the Copenhagen professors Martin Vahl and Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher described new species.
When Thonning's private collection was destroyed during the British bombing of Copenhagen in 1807, he turned away from botanical research and became a customs officer.
Dedication names
The plant genus Thonningia Vahl from the family of the Balanophoraceae in the order of the sandalwood-like (Santalales) and the species Connarus thonningii (DC.) G. Schellenb. ( Connaraceae ), Ficus thonningii flower ( Moraceae ), Millettia thonningii (Schumach. & Thonn.) Baker ( Fabaceae ) and Piliostigma thonningii (Schumach.) Milne-Redh. (Fabaceae) have been named after him.
literature
- J. Junghans: Thonning's and Isert's collections from “Danish Guinea” (Ghana) in West Tropical Africa . In: Botanisk Tidsskrift , 57, 1961, pp. 310-355
- FN Hepper: The West African herbaria of Isert and Thonning . In: RBG Kew , 1976, 227 pp.
- D. Hopkins: Peter Thonning's Map of Danish Guinea and its Use in Colonial Administration and Atlantic Diplomacy , 1801-1890. In: Cartographica , 35, 1998, pp. 99–122 (abstract)
- Peter Thonning . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 17 : Svend Tveskjæg – Tøxen . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1903, p. 242 (Danish, runeberg.org ).
- Robert Zander : Zander concise dictionary of plant names . Ed .: Fritz Encke , Günther Buchheim, Siegmund Seybold . 13th, revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-8001-5042-5 .
Web links
- Author entry and list of the plant names described for Peter Thonning at the IPNI
- Biography of Peter Thonning. ( Memento of June 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Botanical Museum Copenhagen
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thonning, Peter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Danish botanist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 9, 1775 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Copenhagen |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 29, 1848 |
| Place of death | Konferentstraad |