Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter (16 February 1787 – 20 February 1860) was a German
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and Protestant minister.
Biography
Hochstetter was born in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
. He was the father of
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
Ferdinand Hochstetter (1829–1884).
In 1807 Hochstetter received his degree of
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
in
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
. While still a student, he became a member of a secret organization headed by
Carl Ludwig Reichenbach (1788–1869) that had designs on establishing a colony on
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
(''Otaheiti-Gesellschaft''). In 1808 the organization was discovered by authorities, and its members suspected of treason and arrested. Hochstetter was imprisoned for a short period of time for his small role in the secret society.
Later on, he spent six months as a teacher in a private institution in
Erlangen
Erlangen (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Erlang'', Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Erlanga'') is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative d ...
, and afterwards was a tutor for four years in the house of the Minister of
Altenstein in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
.
In 1816 he became a
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
and school inspector in
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
, moving to
Esslingen am Neckar
Esslingen am Neckar ( Swabian: ''Esslenga am Neckor'') is a town in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, seat of the District of Esslingen as well as the largest town in the district. Within Baden-Württemberg it is t ...
in 1824. Here he worked as an instructor at the seminary school, becoming a pastor in 1829. At Esslingen, together with
Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel
Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel (30 May 1783 – 12 May 1856) was a German physician and an authority on poaceae, grasses.
Biography
Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel was born at Esslingen am Neckar in Baden-Württemberg.
He was educated at the University of ...
(1783–1856), he organised
Unio Itineraria Unio Itineraria was a German scientific society which was based at Esslingen am Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The organisation paid botanists to travel and collect plants, and sold the collections in large sets.
Rising costs associated w ...
(''Württembergischer botanische Reiseveren''). The scientific society raised funds through subscribers for the collection and distribution of plant specimens and sold specimens to private collectors, museums and dealers in other European cities.
Hochstetter published numerous works on
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
,
mineralogy
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...
and
natural history as well as on
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and education. With
Steudel, he published ''Enumeratio plantarum Germaniae Helvetiaeque indigenarum'', a book covering botanical species of Germany and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and with
Moritz August Seubert
Moritz August Seubert (2 June 1818, in Karlsruhe – 8 April 1878, in Karlsruhe) was a German botanist.
Life
Seubert was the son of a medical officer of health. He first attended the ''Lyzeum'' in Karlsruhe and already at that time had contact w ...
(1818–1878), he published ''Flora Azorica'', a treatise on the flora of the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
.
Legacy
The botanical
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Hochstetteria
''Dicoma'' is a genus of flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') ...
'' of the family
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
is named after him. This botanist is denoted by the
author abbreviation Hochst. when
citing a
botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the '' International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the ''Intern ...
. He is the
taxonomic author or co-author of numerous botanical genera and species.
IPNI
List of plants described and co-described by Hochstetter.
References
External links
Hochstetter, Christian Ferdinand Friedrich (1787-1860)
at JSTOR Global Plants (biography)
Note
* ''This article incorporates translated text from an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia.
Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...
''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hochstetter, Christian Ferdinand Friedrich
1787 births
1860 deaths
Scientists from Stuttgart
Botanists with author abbreviations
19th-century German botanists
German Protestant clergy
People from the Duchy of Württemberg