Willem Hendrik de Vriese (11 August 1806 – 23 January 1862) was a Dutch

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 physician born in Oosterhout, North Brabant.

Education

Willem Hendrik de Vriese studied medicine at the University of Leiden, earning his doctorate in 1831.

Career

He practiced medicine in Rotterdam, where he also gave classes in botany at the medical school. In 1834, he was appointed associate professor of botany at the Athenaeum Illustré in Amsterdam, and in 1841 was promoted to full professor. In 1845, he became a professor of botany at Leiden and successor to Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (1773–1854) at the '' Hortus Botanicus Leiden''. He became a member of the Royal Dutch Institute of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts in 1838. In October 1857, he was commissioned to conduct botanical investigations in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

, and consequently spent the following years performing research in Java, Borneo,

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

and the Moluccas. In March 1861, he returned to the Netherlands in a weakened state, and died in Leiden several months later.

Published works

Among de Vriese's written works was the first part of "''Hortus Spaarne-Bergensis''" (1839), a catalogue of banker

Adriaan van der Hoop Adriaan van der Hoop (28 April 1778, in Amsterdam – 17 March 1854, in Amsterdam) was a Dutch banker and in the first half of the 19th century one of the richest men in the Netherlands. He also was an influential politician: a member of the ...

's exotic plant collection. He was an editor of Caspar Reinwardt's scientific works, two years after Reinwardt's death, he published "''Plantae Indiae Batavae Orientalis: quas, in itinere per insulas Archipelagi Indici Javam, Amboinam, Celebem, Ternatam, aliasque, annis 1815-1821 exploravit Casp. Georg. Carol. Reinwardt''" (1856). He was the author of a memoir on

Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen (28 June 1804 – 2 September 1840) was a Prussian physician and botanist. Meyen was born in Tilsit, East Prussia. In 1830 he wrote ''Phytotomie'', the first major study of plant anatomy. Between 1830 and 1832, he too ...

as well as of noteworthy treatises on

cinchona ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the Tropical Andes, tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are ...

(1855), vanilla (1856) and

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

(1856). Also, he published monographs on the genus '' Rafflesia'' and of the botanical family Marattiaceae (with

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...

Pieter Harting 1812-1885).

Vriesea

The botanical genus ''

Vriesea ''Vriesea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. The genus name is for Willem Hendrik de Vriese, Dutch botanist, physician (1806–1862). Its species are widespread over Mexico, Central ...

'' (family

Bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain o ...

) Jacksbromeliads
Cryptanthus; Guzmania; Portea; Quesnelia; Vriesea was named in de Vriese's honor by British botanist

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

(1799–1865).

Referencing His Work

References