Joseph Gottfried Mikan (3 September 1743 – 7 August 1814) was an Austrian-Czech

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 ...

born in Böhmisch-Leipa (

Česká Lípa Česká Lípa (; german: Böhmisch Leipa) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants and it is the most populated town of the Czech Republic without city status. The town centre is well preserved and is p ...

). He was the father of zoologist Johann Christian Mikan (1769-1844). He was a student in Dresden, Prague and Vienna, and served as a spa physician in Teplice. In 1773 he became an associate professor, and two years later was appointed a full professor of botany and

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

at the University of Prague. In 1798 he became

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the university. He was the author of ''Catalogus plantarum omnium'' (1776), which he dedicated to the botanical garden in Prague. The plant genus ''

Mikania ''Mikania'' is a genus of about 450 species of plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae. The name honors the Czech botanist Johann Christian Mikan, 1743–1814. Members of the genus are stem twiners and lianas and are common ...

'' from the family Asteraceae is named after him.

References

Botany.CZ Homo Botanicus
(translated biography)
The genus Mikania (Compositae-Eupatorieae) in Mexico
by Walter C. Holmes Academic staff of Charles University 19th-century Austrian botanists Czech botanists 1743 births 1843 deaths 18th-century Austrian botanists {{Austria-botanist-stub