Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, on 10 January 1863. After graduating from high school in
Litoměřice
Litoměřice (; german: Leitmeritz) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
The town is the seat ...
, he decided to teach and in 1885 began teaching at a primary school in Hrušovany near Litoměřice, later in
Pertoltice pod Ralskem
Pertoltice pod Ralskem (german: Barzdorf am Rollberge) is a municipality and village in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Euro ...
. From 1887 he worked in Česká Lípa as a German teacher at a burgher girls 'school (becoming director in 1919), later also as a professional teacher for boys' burghers. He had a keen interest in history and nature, and in 1890–1892 he wrote a guide to the historical monuments of the
Central Bohemian Uplands
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
. He was encouraged in this activity by botanist and high school professor Franz Wurm. Around this time he began to collect and publish lichens from the vicinity of Česká Lípa. He educated himself in the
natural sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.
As a lichenologist he contributed mostly to the research of the Central Bohemian Uplands, the Lusatian Mountains, Jizera Mountains, Ore Mountains, and the
Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif ...
. After he retired in 1926, Anders devoted himself fully to lichens. It was then that he completed his most famous work, ''Die Strauch und Laubflechten Mitteleuropas''. In his obituary of Anders, German bryologist Karl von Schoenau wrote that this work "brought him the well-deserved recognition of his many years of scientific work and made his name known far beyond the borders of his homeland". He also traveled to mountains in neighbouring countries to collect lichens, including the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
Grossglockner
The Grossglockner (german: Großglockner ; or just ''Glockner'') is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glock ...
, and High Tatras. He documented more than 70 lichens from the Jizera Mountains and its surroundings in the early 1920s, many of which can no longer be found there today due to changes in habitat and climate. He was once one of Europe's greatest experts on the genus ''
Cladonia
''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets ...
''. He befriended the German lichenologist Heinrich Sandstede, who wrote a
monograph
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
on the family Cladoniaceae. In addition to almost fifty professional publications, he published 333 items in the
Exsiccata
Exsiccata (Latin, ''gen.'' -ae, ''plur.'' -ae) is a work with "published, uniform, numbered set of preserved specimens distributed with printed labels". Typically, exsiccatae refer to numbered collections of dried herbarium specimens respectivel ...
''Lichenes exsiccati Bohemiae borealis (Flechten Nordböhmen)'' in six volumes over four years (1929–1933).
Two lichens that were named after him are '' Pertusaria multipuncta'' var. ''andersiana'' and '' Usnea andersiana'' . According to Vitus Grummann, Anders described 7 new species, 4 varieties, and 81 forms.