Carl Ernst August Weihe
Encyclopedia
Carl Ernst August Weihe was a German botanist and physician.
Weihe was born on 30 January 1779 at Mennighüffen, the second of 12 children born to KarlJustus Weihe (1752-1829), a pastor, and his wife Anna (née Rebeker). As he later described himself as "Mindensis", it is probable that he received his schooling at the Gymnasium in Minden
. Weihe was apprenticed to a pharmacist in Bielefeld
, before attending the university at Halle
, where he studied medicine and botany, receiving his doctorate in September 1802. He worked as a doctor at Lüttringhausen
(near Remscheid
) and Bünde
, before moving back to Mennighüffen, where he established a small botanical garden on land owned by his father. In 1822, Weihe moved to Herford
, where his children were at school, and where he died in 1834.
During his career Weihe described some 160 new plant species. In particular, he made important contributions to the study of the genus Rubus
. Weihe was the first to realise that the bramble, Rubus fruticosus, was not in fact a single species but a complex of similar species; among specimens collected in the vicinity of his home at Mennighüffen he distinguished 18 separate species. Between 1822 and 1827, Weihe and his collaborator, Christian Gottfried Nees von Esenbeck, a taxonomic botanist, published a monograph of the German brambles, Rubi Germanici descripti et illustrati, in which they described 49 species of Rubus
.
The genus Weihea (now treated as a synonym of Geissorhiza
) was named in his honour.
Weihe was born on 30 January 1779 at Mennighüffen, the second of 12 children born to KarlJustus Weihe (1752-1829), a pastor, and his wife Anna (née Rebeker). As he later described himself as "Mindensis", it is probable that he received his schooling at the Gymnasium in Minden
Minden
Minden is a town of about 83,000 inhabitants in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town extends along both sides of the river Weser. It is the capital of the Kreis of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detmold. Minden is the historic political centre of the...
. Weihe was apprenticed to a pharmacist in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, before attending the university at Halle
Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia
Halle is a town in the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the district of Gütersloh....
, where he studied medicine and botany, receiving his doctorate in September 1802. He worked as a doctor at Lüttringhausen
Lüttringhausen
Lüttringhausen is a district of the German town of Remscheid with a population of 17,857 in 2005; 11,829 in 1905; 13,560, mostly Evangelical, in 1910.-Overview:It was founded around the year 1189. At this time, Lüttringhausen belonged to the County of Berg...
(near Remscheid
Remscheid
Remscheid is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on south side of the Ruhr area....
) and Bünde
Bünde
Bünde is a town in the Herford district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Bünde is situated between Osnabrück , Hannover and Bielefeld .- Waterways :...
, before moving back to Mennighüffen, where he established a small botanical garden on land owned by his father. In 1822, Weihe moved to Herford
Herford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
, where his children were at school, and where he died in 1834.
During his career Weihe described some 160 new plant species. In particular, he made important contributions to the study of the genus Rubus
Rubus
Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are...
. Weihe was the first to realise that the bramble, Rubus fruticosus, was not in fact a single species but a complex of similar species; among specimens collected in the vicinity of his home at Mennighüffen he distinguished 18 separate species. Between 1822 and 1827, Weihe and his collaborator, Christian Gottfried Nees von Esenbeck, a taxonomic botanist, published a monograph of the German brambles, Rubi Germanici descripti et illustrati, in which they described 49 species of Rubus
Rubus
Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are...
.
The genus Weihea (now treated as a synonym of Geissorhiza
Geissorhiza
Geissorhiza is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the iris family which originate from South Africa. The genus name is derived from the Greek words geisson, meaning "tile", and rhizon, meaning "root".Here are some of them:...
) was named in his honour.