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Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804 – 28 March 1849), was an Austrian
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 ...
,
numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...
and
Sinologist Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilizatio ...
. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.


Biography

Endlicher studied theology and received minor orders. In 1828 he was appointed to the
Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Hofburg#Neue Burg, Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in Innere Stadt, center of Vienna. Sin ...
to reorganize its manuscript collection. Concurrently he studied
natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
, 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 The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
and director of its
Botanical Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
. 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's ''Grundzüge der Botanik'' (Fundamentals of Botany). Endlicher was fundamental in establishing the Imperial Academy of Science (), but when contrary to his expectations the Baron Joseph Hammer von Purgstall 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 (). In 1842, he was elected as a member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
. 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 The Frankfurt National Assembly () was the first freely elected parliament for all German Confederation, German states, including the German-populated areas of the Austrian Empire, elected on 1 May 1848 (see German federal election, 1848). The ...
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 Priscianus Caesariensis (), commonly known as Priscian ( or ), was a Latin grammarian and the author of the ''Institutes of Grammar'', which was the standard textbook for the study of Latin during the Middle Ages. It also provided the raw materia ...
(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), ''Enchiridion Botanikum'' (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 Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botany, botanist and explorer. Between 1817 and 1820, he travelled 10,000 km through Brazil while collecting botanical specimens. His m ...
. He also published early works on the flora of Australia, including the plants collected by Carl von Hugel and Ferdinand Bauer. Endlicher described many new plant
genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
, 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 The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
Indian linguist
Sequoyah Sequoyah ( ; , , or , , ; 1770 – August 1843), also known as George Gist or George Guess, was a Native American polymath and Constructed script, neographer of the Cherokee Nation. In 1821, Sequoyah completed his Cherokee syllabary, enabl ...
. 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 The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah in the late 1810s and early 1820s to write the Cherokee language. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy as he was illiterate until its creation. He first experimen ...
.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. .


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


Important works

* ''Flora Brasiliensis'' * ''Genera Plantarum Secundum Ordines Naturales Disposita'' (1836–50) * ''Synopsis Coniferarum'' (1847); often shortened as "Syn. Conif." * ''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 ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
), available online a
Project Gutenberg ebooks
* ''Stirplum Australisicum''


Tribute

The genus '' Endlicheria'' of the family
Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant Family (biology), family that includes the bay laurel, true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genus (biology), genera worldwide. They are dicotyled ...
and the genus ''Endlichera'' of the family
Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...
(now synonym of '' Emmeorhiza'') were named in his honour. Both plant genera occur in Tropical America. The African fish '' Polypterus endlicherii'' Heckel, 1847 was named in honor of Endlicher, who apparently discovered the species in the fish collection at the Naturhistorisches Museum (Vienna).


See also

* :Taxa named by Stephan Endlicher


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 Botanists from the Austrian Empire Scholars from the Austrian Empire International members of the American Philosophical Society