Karl Theodor Rümpler (1817 in Alterstedt – 23 May 1891 in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

) was a German

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

horticulturist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

. He developed a passion for botany in his youth, and studied

natural sciences Natural science or empirical 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 ...

at the gymnasium in

Mühlhausen Mühlhausen () is a town in the north-west of Thuringia, Germany, north of Niederdorla, the country's Central Germany (geography)#Geographical centre, geographical centre, north-west of Erfurt, east of Kassel and south-east of Göttingen ...

, where one of his classmates was

Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers (26 December 1816 in Mühlhausen – 18 June 1853 in Berlin) was a German botanist. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing a botanical name. He received his education at the Universities of Greif ...

. He later took classes in botany,

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

and foreign languages at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

. Beginning in 1852 he was associated with the ''Gärtner-Lehr-Anstalt zu Erfurt'' (a gardener-teaching institution in

) as an instructor and inspector.Illustriertes Gartenbau-Lexikon
biography translated from German In 1860 he became secretary of the ''Erfurter Gartenbauvereins'' (Erfurt Horticultural Association) as well as secretary of the county agricultural association. From 1873 onward, he was director of the newly established agricultural school in Erfurt. He is remembered for his investigations of the family

Cactaceae A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

, and was the

taxonomic authority In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are given ...

of numerous

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

species. In 1886, he published a new edition of Karl Friedrich Förster's 1846 "''Handbuch der Cacteenkunde in ihrem ganzen Umfange''".

Selected works

* ''Erfurt's Land- und Gartenbau in seinen wichtigsten Entwickelungs-Momenten'', 1865 – Erfurt's agriculture and horticulture in its most important moments of development. * ''Die Gartenblumen, ihre Beschreibung, Anzucht und Pflege'', 1876 – The flower garden, description, cultivation and care. * ''Illustriertes Gartenbau-Lexikon. Unter Mitwirkung zahlreicher Fachmänner aus Wissenschaft und Praxis'', 1882 – Illustrated horticulture, etc. * ''Karl Friedrich Förster's Handbuch der Cacteenkunde in ihrem ganzen Umfange'', 1886 (2 volumes) – Karl Friedrich Förster's handbook of Cactaceae in its whole extent. * ''Die Sukkulenten (Fettplanzen und Kakteen) : Beschreibung, Abbildung und Kultur derselben'', 1892 (with Karl Schumann) –

Succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meanin ...

s (succulents and cacti): description, illustration and culture.WorldCat Search
published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumpler, Karl Theodor 1817 births 1891 deaths People from Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis 19th-century German botanists German horticulturists