Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian

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 ...

, numismatist and

Sinologist Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...

. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna.

Biography

Endlicher studied theology and received minor orders. In 1828 he was appointed to the Austrian National Library to reorganize its manuscript collection. Concurrently he studied natural history, in particular botany, and East-Asian languages. In 1836, Endlicher was appointed keeper of the court cabinet of natural history, and in 1840 he became professor at the University of Vienna and director of its Botanical Garden. He wrote a comprehensive description of the plant kingdom according to a natural system, at the time its most comprehensive description. As proposed by Endlicher, it contained images with text. It was published together with the reissue of

Franz Unger Franz Joseph Andreas Nicolaus Unger (30 November 1800 in ''Gut Amthof'' near village Leutschach in Styria, Austria – 13 February 1870 in Graz) was an Austrian botanist, paleontologist and plant physiologist. Life and work Initially, Ung ...

's ''Grundzüge der Botanik'' (Fundamentals of Botany). Endlicher was fundamental in establishing the Imperial Academy of Science (german: link=no, Akademie der Wissenschaften), but when contrary to his expectations the Baron

Joseph Hammer von Purgstall Joseph Freiherr von Hammer-Purgstall (9 June 1774 – 23 November 1856) was an Austrian orientalist and historian. He is considered one of the most accomplished Orientalists of his time. He was critical of the trend of ascribing classical or a ...

was elected its president in his stead, he resigned. He presented his library and herbaria to the state, and passed several hours every week for 10 years in the society of the Emperor Ferdinand, but he received no other reward than the title of councillor (german: link=no, Regierungsrath). In 1842, he was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society. As a known liberal, Endlicher was asked to act as mediator during the revolution of 1848, but eventually was forced to leave Vienna for a time. In 1848 he also became a member of the Frankfurt Parliament and the assembly at Kremsier (Kroměříž).

Works

Endlicher made valuable contributions to the science of old German and classic literature, and pointed out new sources of Hungarian history, publishing ''Fragmenta Theotisca Versionis antiquissimae Evangelii Matthaei'' (edited with Hoffmann von Fallersleben, 1834), an edition of two poems of Priscian (1828), and ''Anonymi Belæ Regis Notarii de Gestis Hungarorum Liber'' (1827). His linguistic publications comprise ''Analecta Grammatica'' (with Eichenfeld, 1836), and ''Anfangsgründe der chinesischen Grammatik'' (Foundations of Chinese grammar; 1845). His ''Verzeichniss der japanesischen und chinesischen Münzen des kaiserlichen Münz- und Antikencabinets'' (Catalog of Japanese and Chinese coins in the imperial coin and antique collections; 1837) and ''Atlas von China nach der Aufnahme der Jesuitenmissionäre'' (Atlas of China after the arrival of the Jesuit missionaries; 1843) are finely executed, and deserve mention as specimens of his great liberality. He wrote several works in conjunction with other scholars, and many of his minor writings are scattered among the periodicals of his time, especially in the ''Annalen des Wiener Museums''.

Botany

The majority and the most valuable of his works are on botany. Foremost among them are his: ''Genera Plantarum'' (1831–1841), in which he lays down a new system of classification; ''Grundzüge einer neuen Theorie der Pflanzenerzeugung'' (Foundations of a new theory of plant breeding; 1838); and ''Die Medicinalpflanzen der österreichischen Pharmakopöe'' (Medicinal plants in the Austrian pharmacopoeia; 1842). His other principal botanical works are: ''Ceratotheca'' (1822), ''Flora Posoniensis'' (1830), ''Diesingia'' (1832), ''Atacta Botanica'' (1833), ''Iconographia Generum Plantarum'' (1838), ''Enchiridium Botanicum'' (1841) and ''Synopsis Coniferarum'' (1847). Endlicher established the botanical journal ''Annalen des Wiener Museums der Naturgeschichte'' (1835 and on). He began the work '' Flora Brasiliensis'' with Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. He also published early works on the flora of Australia, including the plants collected by

Carl von Hugel Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

and Ferdinand Bauer. Endlicher described many new plant

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, including the genus ''Sequoia'', and also its only extant species ''Sequoia sempervirens'' (California coast redwood). Although Endlicher never offered an explanation for the name, later writers speculated that he must have been inspired by the achievements of the American Cherokee Indian linguist

Sequoyah Sequoyah (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏍᏏᏉᏯ, ''Ssiquoya'', or ᏎᏉᏯ, ''Se-quo-ya''; 1770 – August 1843), also known as George Gist or George Guess, was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American polymath of the Ch ...

. John Davis credited Endlicher with naming the new species of Sierra redwood ''Sequoyah gigantea'' in 1847, the present day ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (California giant redwood), to honor Sequoyah's invention of the Cherokee syllabary.Davis, John B. ''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. Vol. 8, Number 2. "The Life and Work of Sequoyah." June 1930. Retrieved 4 April 201

/ref> Recent scholarship supports this hypothesis; Endlicher appears to have combined the Latin ''sequi'' (meaning ''to follow'') with his admiration of Sequoyah and coined "Sequoia" because the number of seeds per cone in the newly classified genus fell in mathematical sequence with the other four genera in the suborder. . The genus '' Endlicheria'' of the family

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

was named in his honour.

Endlicher System

Endlicher's system for plant classification is laid out as follows in his ''Genera Plantarum'', with a hierarchy of ''Regio'', ''Sectio'', ''Cohors'', ''Classis'', ''Ordo'', with further subdivisions (and finally ''Genus''), using a sequential numbering system, as shown for some taxa; ;Outline * Thallophyta ** Protophyta ** Hysterophyta * Cormophyta ** Acrobrya ** Amphibrya ** Acramphibrya ;Conspectus * Regio I. THALLOPHYTA ** Sectio I. Protophyta *** Classis I. Algae **** Ordo I. Diatomaceae ***** I. Diatomeae ****** a. Frustulieae (Gen. 1–12) ****** b. Hydrolineae (Gen. 13–18) ***** II. Dermidieae ****** a. Micrasterieae (Gen. 19–21) ****** b. Echinelleae (Gen. 22–24) **** Ordo II. Nostochinae **** Ordo III. Confervaceae **** Ordo IV. Characeae **** Ordo V. Ulvaceae **** Ordo VI. Floridae **** Ordo VII. Fucaceae *** Classis II. Lichenes ** Sectio II. Hysterophyta *** Classis III. Fungi * Regio II. CORMOPHYTA ** Sectio III. Acrobrya *** Cohors I. Anophyta **** Classis IV. Hepitacea **** Classis V. Musci *** Cohors II. Protophyta **** Classis VI. Equiseta **** Classis VII. Filices **** Classis VIII. Hydropterides **** Classis IX. Selagines **** Classis X. Zamiae *** Cohors II. Hysterophyta **** Classis XI. Rhizanthaea ** Sectio IV. Amphibrya *** Classis 12. Glumaceae *** Classis 13. Enantioblastae *** Classis 14. Helobiae *** Classis 15. Coronariae **** Ordo 51. Juncaceae **** Ordo 52. Philydreae **** Ordo 53. Melanthaceae **** Ordo 54. Pontederaceae **** Ordo 55. Liliaceae **** Ordo 56. Smilaceae **** Ordo 57. Dioscoreae **** Ordo 58. Taccaceae *** Classis 16. Artorhizae *** Classis 17. Ensatae *** Classis 18. Gynandrae *** Classis 19. Scitamineae *** Classis 20. Fluviales *** Classis 21. Spadiciflorae *** Classis 22. Principes. ** Sectio IV. Acramphibrya *** Cohors I. Gymnosperma **** Classis 23. Coniferae *** Cohors II. Apetalae ****Classis 24. Piperitae ****Aquaticae ****Juliflorae ****Oleraceae ****Thymeleae **** Classis 29. Serpentariae *** Cohors III. Gamopetala ****Plumbagines **** Classis 32. Campanulinae ****Contortae ****Tubiflorae **** Classis 31. Aggregatae ****Caprifolia ****Kuculiferae ****Personatae ****Petalantheae **** Classis 39. Bicornes *** Cohors IV. Dialypetala **** Classis 40. Discanthae **** Classis 41. Corniculatae ****Polycarpicae ****Rhoeades ****Nelumbea ****Parietales ****Peponiferae ****Opuntiae ****Caryophyllinae **** Classis 49. Columniferae ****Guttiferae ****Hesperides ****Acera **** Classis 54. Polygalinae ****Frangulaceae ****Tricoccae ****Terebinthinae ****Gruinales **** Classis 59. Calycifiorae ****Myrtiflorae ****Rosiflorae **** Classis 62. Leguminosae

Taxonomy

Standard author abbreviation

Important works

* ''Flora Brasiliensis'' * ''Genera Plantarum Secundum Ordines Naturales Disposita'' (1836–50) * ''Synopsis Coniferarum'' (1847) * ''Die Medicinal-Pflanzen der österreichischen Pharmakopöe: ein Handbuch für Ärzte und Apotheker''. Gerold, Wien 1842 * '' Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel'' * ''Prodromus Florae Norfolkicae'' (Flora of

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

), available online a
Project Gutenberg ebooks
* ''Stirplum Australisicum''

Tribute

The African fish '' Polypterus endlicheri'' Heckel, 1847 was named in honor of Endlicher, who apparently discovered the species in the fish collection at the Naturhistorisches Museum (Vienna).

References

External links

*
View digitized titles by Endlicher in ''Botanicus.org''Comprehensive bibliography on WorldCat
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Endlicher, Stephan Ladislaus 19th-century Austrian botanists Austrian mycologists 1804 births 1849 deaths Bryologists Pteridologists Phycologists Paleobotanists Botanists with author abbreviations Austrian numismatists Austrian orientalists Austrian sinologists Austrian people of Hungarian descent 19th-century Hungarian botanists Hungarian mycologists Hungarian orientalists Scientists from Bratislava Members of the Frankfurt Parliament Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Austrian Roman Catholics 19th-century Austrian politicians