Maurice William Holtze
Encyclopedia
Maurice William Holtze, born in Hanover
, Germany
, was a botanist who established Darwin's Botanical Gardens in Fannie Bay Darwin
in 1878. When he left to take charge of Adelaide's Botanic Garden in 1891, his son Nicholas was appointed curator of the Darwin Botanical Gardens in his place.
Holtze studied at Hildesheim
and Osnabrück
before serving an apprenticeship in Hanover, where he subsequently worked for four years in the Royal Gardens. He spent two years in the Imperial Gardens of St. Petersburg before emigrating in 1872 to Melbourne, Australia, then to Darwin, Northern Territory
.
While in Darwin (then called Palmerston, later Port Darwin) he made trial plantings of a large number of tropical plants of potential economic importance: rubber, rice, peanuts, tobacco, sugar, coffee, indigo and maize. He supplied the sugarcane tubers for the Cox's (later Cox) Peninsula sugarcane venture in which B. C. DeLissa and W. H. and G. T. Bean
had a large interest.
He sent a large number of botanic specimens from the Darwin area and nearby islands, many of which had not been previously described, to Sir Ferdinand Mueller.
In Adelaide, succeeding the great Dr Schomburgk
as curator, he did much to make the Botanic Gardens an attractive place for the general public to visit, a novel policy at the time. He established lakes populated with water-lilies and lotuses, which became quite famous.
He retired in 1917 and died at Kangaroo Island
, in the home of his daughter.
and probably also Northern Territory natives Uvaria holtzei, Aristolochia holtzei, Polycarpaea holtzei (incorrrectly Polycarpaea holtzii), Trichosanthes holtzei, Goodenia holtzeana, Utricularia holtzei, Calochilus holtzei, Habenaria holtzei (since renamed Habenaria rumphii), Sterculia holtzei, Eulophia holtzei, Piper holtzei, Hibbertia holtzei and Calogyne holtzeana. of which all but two were described by Ferdinand Mueller.
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, was a botanist who established Darwin's Botanical Gardens in Fannie Bay Darwin
Fannie Bay, Northern Territory
Fannie Bay is a middle/inner suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.Situated in the suburb is the Fannie Bay Gaol museum, Fannie Bay Race Track and a monument to Ross Smith, captain of the Vickers Vimy that, in December 1919, was the first aircraft to fly from England to...
in 1878. When he left to take charge of Adelaide's Botanic Garden in 1891, his son Nicholas was appointed curator of the Darwin Botanical Gardens in his place.
Holtze studied at Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
and Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
before serving an apprenticeship in Hanover, where he subsequently worked for four years in the Royal Gardens. He spent two years in the Imperial Gardens of St. Petersburg before emigrating in 1872 to Melbourne, Australia, then to Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
.
While in Darwin (then called Palmerston, later Port Darwin) he made trial plantings of a large number of tropical plants of potential economic importance: rubber, rice, peanuts, tobacco, sugar, coffee, indigo and maize. He supplied the sugarcane tubers for the Cox's (later Cox) Peninsula sugarcane venture in which B. C. DeLissa and W. H. and G. T. Bean
Bean Brothers
Bean Brothers was a company based in Adelaide, South Australia involved in tanning, leathergoods and shipping ventures in the latter half of the 19th Century. Bean Brothers Ltd was set up by the principals to consolidate their assets and develop as wool and produce brokers...
had a large interest.
He sent a large number of botanic specimens from the Darwin area and nearby islands, many of which had not been previously described, to Sir Ferdinand Mueller.
In Adelaide, succeeding the great Dr Schomburgk
Moritz Richard Schomburgk
Moritz Richard Schomburgk was a German botanist.In 1844 he went on the Prussian-British expedition to Guyana and Brazil, led by his brother Robert. He collected for the Museum of the University of Berlin. After the political turmoil in Europe in 1848, he emigrated to Gawler, South Australia...
as curator, he did much to make the Botanic Gardens an attractive place for the general public to visit, a novel policy at the time. He established lakes populated with water-lilies and lotuses, which became quite famous.
He retired in 1917 and died at Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, in the home of his daughter.
Recognition
- Clerodendron holtzei (now Clerodendrum holtzei), Sida holtzei, Habenaria holtzei and Polyalthia holtzeana were named for him.
and probably also Northern Territory natives Uvaria holtzei, Aristolochia holtzei, Polycarpaea holtzei (incorrrectly Polycarpaea holtzii), Trichosanthes holtzei, Goodenia holtzeana, Utricularia holtzei, Calochilus holtzei, Habenaria holtzei (since renamed Habenaria rumphii), Sterculia holtzei, Eulophia holtzei, Piper holtzei, Hibbertia holtzei and Calogyne holtzeana. of which all but two were described by Ferdinand Mueller.
- He was awarded the I.S.O. in 1913.