Harry van Bruggen
Encyclopedia
H. W. E. van Bruggen (Amsterdam
, December 6, 1927 – Amersfoort
, February 8, 2010) was a Dutch
amateur
botanist
.
, van Bruggen became an accountant
, first in his uncle's company, later with Koninklijke Hoogovens
, where he became the head of the Administration. In 1950 he married Anna Blom, with whom he had a son (Dick); she died in 1996. In April 2000 he remarried with Liesbeth Bakker. van Bruggen was interested in nature already at a very young age, in particular for animals and plants in and around water. He sowed his first plants when he was 5-years old: Tagetes
. This led to his lifelong interest for botany
, particularly water and marsh plants and orchids. van Bruggen was an active member of the "Dutch Waterplant Society", for which he did the administration during many years.
species which he failed to be able to name using the existing literature. He concluded that it was a new species, unknown to science, and with the help of Hendrik de Wit
he described the new species as Aponogeton rigidifolius
H. Bruggen. In subsequent years he published a revision of the genus
Aponogeton in several parts (organised geographically), culminating in his magnum opus
, a complete monograph
of this genus, which was well-received in professional circles. In total, van Bruggen described 13 new Aponogeton species. For health reasons, van Bruggen never traveled to the tropics himself, but based his studies on observations from others and both living and dried (herbarium
) materials sent to him.
Two Aponogeton species were named after van Bruggen: A. vanbruggenii C. B. Hellquist & S. W. L. Jacobs (Australia
) and A. bruggenii S. R. Yadav & R. S. Govekar (India
). In addition, one orchid subspecies, Ophrys holosericea (N.L. Burman) Greuter subsp. vanbruggeniana J. & L. Essink & Kreutz, was named after him, commemorating van Bruggen's lifelong interest in this family.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, December 6, 1927 – Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, February 8, 2010) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
.
Personal life
After finishing secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, van Bruggen became an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, first in his uncle's company, later with Koninklijke Hoogovens
Koninklijke Hoogovens
Koninklijke Hoogovens was a Dutch steel producer founded in 1918. In 1999, the company merged with British Steel to create Corus Group steel company. In 2007, Corus Group was purchased by India-based Tata Steel.- History :On April 19, 1917, H.J.E...
, where he became the head of the Administration. In 1950 he married Anna Blom, with whom he had a son (Dick); she died in 1996. In April 2000 he remarried with Liesbeth Bakker. van Bruggen was interested in nature already at a very young age, in particular for animals and plants in and around water. He sowed his first plants when he was 5-years old: Tagetes
Tagetes
Tagetes is a genus of 56 species of annual and perennial mostly herbaceous plants in the sunflower family . The genus is native to North and South America, but some species have become naturalized around the world. One species, T...
. This led to his lifelong interest for botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, particularly water and marsh plants and orchids. van Bruggen was an active member of the "Dutch Waterplant Society", for which he did the administration during many years.
Contributions to botany
In the late fifties, van Bruggen obtained from an aquarium-plant importer an AponogetonAponogeton
Aponogeton is a genus of 45 - 50 species of flowering plants, the only genus of the family Aponogetonaceae. The Aponogetonaceae is considered to be allied to the Potamogetonaceae - Najadaceae complex of families....
species which he failed to be able to name using the existing literature. He concluded that it was a new species, unknown to science, and with the help of Hendrik de Wit
Hendrik de Wit
Hendrik Cornelis Dirk de Wit was a Dutch systematic botanist who contributed significantly to the knowledge of the Aroid genera Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra...
he described the new species as Aponogeton rigidifolius
Aponogeton rigidifolius
Aponogeton rigidifolius is native to Sri Lanka. In the wild it grows in deep water at temperatures of 68 to 77F in sandy soil with the water pH at 7.2.-Description:The creeping rhizome is cylindrical and about .5 inch thick...
H. Bruggen. In subsequent years he published a revision of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Aponogeton in several parts (organised geographically), culminating in his magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, a complete monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
of this genus, which was well-received in professional circles. In total, van Bruggen described 13 new Aponogeton species. For health reasons, van Bruggen never traveled to the tropics himself, but based his studies on observations from others and both living and dried (herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
) materials sent to him.
Two Aponogeton species were named after van Bruggen: A. vanbruggenii C. B. Hellquist & S. W. L. Jacobs (Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) and A. bruggenii S. R. Yadav & R. S. Govekar (India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
). In addition, one orchid subspecies, Ophrys holosericea (N.L. Burman) Greuter subsp. vanbruggeniana J. & L. Essink & Kreutz, was named after him, commemorating van Bruggen's lifelong interest in this family.