Karl Andreas Geyer
Encyclopedia
Karl Andreas Geyer was a German botanist who was a native of Dresden
.
As a teenager, Geyer worked as an apprentice-gardener in Zabeltitz
, and in 1830 became an assistant at the botanical gardens in Dresden. From 1835 to 1844 he performed botanical studies on several expeditions within the United States. In 1838-40 he worked as a botanist in the Upper Midwest for geographer
Joseph Nicollet
(1786-1843), and in 1841-42 collected plants in Illinois
, Missouri
and the Iowa Territory
for botanist Georg Engelmann (1809-1884).
Afterwards he joined explorer William Drummond Stewart
(1795-1871) on an expedition through the present-day states of Nebraska
and Wyoming
. Eventually, Geyer parted company with Drummond, and performed extensive botanical research in what would later be known as the Oregon Territory
. In 1845 he returned to Germany, where he purchased land in Meissen
and started a nursery.
Geyer has several plant species named after him, including Allium geyeri (Geyer's onion) and Euphorbia geyeri (Geyer's spurge
). His botanical collection of nearly 10,000 specimens was acquired by the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
.
As a teenager, Geyer worked as an apprentice-gardener in Zabeltitz
Zabeltitz
Zabeltitz is a former municipality in the district of Meißen, in Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Großenhain.-Villages:Zabeltitz includes the following subdivisions:*Görzig*Krauschütz*Nasseböhla*Skäßchen*Skaup*Strauch...
, and in 1830 became an assistant at the botanical gardens in Dresden. From 1835 to 1844 he performed botanical studies on several expeditions within the United States. In 1838-40 he worked as a botanist in the Upper Midwest for geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
Joseph Nicollet
Joseph Nicollet
Joseph Nicolas Nicollet , also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French geographer and mathematician known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s....
(1786-1843), and in 1841-42 collected plants in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and the Iowa Territory
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
for botanist Georg Engelmann (1809-1884).
Afterwards he joined explorer William Drummond Stewart
William Drummond Stewart
William Drummond Stewart was a Scottish adventurer and British military officer. He traveled extensively in the American West for nearly six years in the 1830s, wintering in New Orleans, where he speculated in the cotton market, and Cuba. In 1837 he took along the American artist, Alfred Jacob...
(1795-1871) on an expedition through the present-day states of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Eventually, Geyer parted company with Drummond, and performed extensive botanical research in what would later be known as the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. In 1845 he returned to Germany, where he purchased land in Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
and started a nursery.
Geyer has several plant species named after him, including Allium geyeri (Geyer's onion) and Euphorbia geyeri (Geyer's spurge
Spurge
Euphorbia is a genus of plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is one of the most diverse genera in the plant kingdom, exceeded possibly only by Senecio. Members of the family and genus are sometimes referred to as Spurges...
). His botanical collection of nearly 10,000 specimens was acquired by the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.