Eduard Pechuël-Loesche
Encyclopedia
Eduard Pechuël-Loesche, (26 July 1840 Zöschen
- 29 May 1913 Munich
), was a German naturalist, geographer, ethnologist, painter, traveler, author, plant collector and Professor of Geography in Jena
and Erlangen
. Eduard was the son of Ferdinand Moritz Pechuël, an innkeeper and mill owner, and Wilhelmine Lösche.
After school he joined the merchant navy and travelled widely during the 1860s including the West Indies, the Americas
and the seaboards and islands of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He also visited the northern and southern polar regions and the Bering Strait
.
Thereafter he enrolled at Leipzig University, studying natural history and geography, and gaining a Ph.D.
in 1872. He accompanied Paul Güssfeldt
on the Loanga
Expedition of 1873-76, playing a role in the founding of the Congo state and later writing a two-volume account of the expedition in 1882 and 1907, Die Loango-Expedition, ausgesandt von der Deutschen Gesellschaft zur Erforschung Aequatorial-Afrikas 1873-1876. Between 1884-85 he acted as Henry Morton Stanley
's agent.
Following a further period of study at Leipzig University, he was commissioned by Leopold II
to make a second trip to the Congo
in 1882, whereafter he was employed by a Rhenish company and despatched to Hereroland
via the Cape
in 1884-85. Elsbeth von Leubnitz, his young wife, travelled with him and they made a joint collection of plants. Their botanising was interrupted by a trip to Okahandja
where they tried unsuccessfully to obtain a concession from the chief Kamaherero. On Pechuël-Loesche's return to Europe he accepted an appointment as lecturer at Leipzig University in 1886, and Professor of Geography at Erlangen University in 1895.
During his travels he painted some 400 aquarelles, currently housed with the Geography Department of the University of Hamburg
.
He is commemorated in the Asteraceae
genus Pechuel-Loeschea
O.Hoffm., Adenia pechuelii
of the Passifloraceae
and Aerva pechuelii of the Amaranthaceae
, having to make way for the older Calicorema capitata.
Pechuel-Loeschea leubnitziae was named after Elsbeth, and is quite possibly a unique case of genus and species honouring a husband and wife respectively.
Zöschen
Zöschen is a village and a former municipality in the district Saalekreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 31 December 2009, it is part of the town Leuna....
- 29 May 1913 Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
), was a German naturalist, geographer, ethnologist, painter, traveler, author, plant collector and Professor of Geography in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
and Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
. Eduard was the son of Ferdinand Moritz Pechuël, an innkeeper and mill owner, and Wilhelmine Lösche.
After school he joined the merchant navy and travelled widely during the 1860s including the West Indies, the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and the seaboards and islands of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He also visited the northern and southern polar regions and the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
.
Thereafter he enrolled at Leipzig University, studying natural history and geography, and gaining a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1872. He accompanied Paul Güssfeldt
Paul Güssfeldt
Dr Paul Güssfeldt was a German geologist, mountaineer and explorer.-Biography:Güssfeldt was born in Berlin, where he also died almost 80 years later...
on the Loanga
Loanga
Loanga is a town in the Tenkodogo Department of Boulgou Province in south-eastern Burkina Faso. As of 2005, the town has a population of 2,580....
Expedition of 1873-76, playing a role in the founding of the Congo state and later writing a two-volume account of the expedition in 1882 and 1907, Die Loango-Expedition, ausgesandt von der Deutschen Gesellschaft zur Erforschung Aequatorial-Afrikas 1873-1876. Between 1884-85 he acted as Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
's agent.
Following a further period of study at Leipzig University, he was commissioned by Leopold II
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
to make a second trip to the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
in 1882, whereafter he was employed by a Rhenish company and despatched to Hereroland
Hereroland
Hereroland was a bantustan in South West Africa , intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Herero people. It was set up in 1968 and self-government was granted two years later....
via the Cape
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in 1884-85. Elsbeth von Leubnitz, his young wife, travelled with him and they made a joint collection of plants. Their botanising was interrupted by a trip to Okahandja
Okahandja
Okahandja is a town of 14,000 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the Garden Town of Namibia. It is located 70km north of Windhoek on the B1 road...
where they tried unsuccessfully to obtain a concession from the chief Kamaherero. On Pechuël-Loesche's return to Europe he accepted an appointment as lecturer at Leipzig University in 1886, and Professor of Geography at Erlangen University in 1895.
During his travels he painted some 400 aquarelles, currently housed with the Geography Department of 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...
.
He is commemorated in the Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
genus Pechuel-Loeschea
Pechuel-Loeschea
Pechuel-loeschea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, and named after the German plant collector and geographer Eduard Pechuël-Loesche....
O.Hoffm., Adenia pechuelii
Adenia pechuelii
Adenia pechuelii is a species of plant in the Passifloraceae family. It is endemic to Namibia. Its natural habitat is limited to the rocky area between Walvis Bay and southern Kaokoland, where it is still a rare sight and under protection by local law...
of the Passifloraceae
Passifloraceae
Passifloraceae is a family of flowering plants, containing about 530 species classified in around 18 genera. They include trees, shrubs, lianas and climbing plants, and are mostly found in tropical regions....
and Aerva pechuelii of the Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
, having to make way for the older Calicorema capitata.
Pechuel-Loeschea leubnitziae was named after Elsbeth, and is quite possibly a unique case of genus and species honouring a husband and wife respectively.