Friedrich von Berchtold

Count Friedrich Carl Eugen Vsemir von Berchtold, baron von Ungarschitz (Czech: Bedřich Karel Eugen Všemír Berchtold hrabě z Uherčic) (25 October 1781 – 3 April 1876), was a German-speaking Bohemian physician and botanist from Austrian descent.

Friedrich von Berchtold
Born	25 October 1781 Stráž nad Nežárkou
Died	3 April 1876 (aged 94) Buchlovice
Scientific career
Fields	Botany, Medicine
Author abbrev. (botany)	Bercht.

Biography

Berchtold was born in Stráž nad Nežárkou (German: Platz an der Naser) (now District Jindřichův Hradec), in the Austrian Empire. He graduated from medical school in 1804, after which he practiced medicine and devoted much of his time to botany and natural history. He eventually abandoned regular medical practice and travelled throughout Europe, the Middle East and Brazil. He co-authored several research papers with brother botanists Carl Borivoj Presl and Jan Svatopluk Presl, including an important taxonomic work, O Prirozenosti Rostlin.[1]

An avid worker for Czech national revival, Berchtold was involved in the establishment of the Prague National Museum. He died in 1876 in Buchlau (now Buchlovice), Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic).

The genus Berchtoldia C.Presl (syn. Chaetium Nees) was named in his honor.

Plaque commemorating Berchtold at the municipal office building in the village of Tučapy (Tábor District), Czech Republic.

Selected publications

• Berchtold, Friedrich von; Presl, Jan Svatopluk (1820). O Prirozenosti Rostlin. Prague: Krala Wiljma Endersa.
• Berchtold, Friedrich von; Presl, Jan Svatopluk (1820–1835). O Prirozenosti Rostlin aneb rostlinář. Prague: Jos Krause.

Notes

Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. Hrabě is the Czech equivalent, the female form is hraběnka.

References

1. Stafleu & Cowan 1976–1988, v.1 A–G 1976 Berchtold, Friedrich pp. 182–184
2. IPNI.  Bercht.

External links

• Partial list of papers by Berchtold - WorldCat (in German)
• Berchtold biography on Czech Radio (in Czech)

Bibliography

• Heribert Sturm (1979). Biographisches Lexikon zur Geschichte der böhmischen Länder (in German). R.Oldenbourg. ISBN 3-486-49491-0. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
• Stafleu, Frans A.; Cowan, Richard S. (1976–1988). Taxonomic literature: a selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types: Taxon. Lit., ed. 2 (TL2) (2nd ed.). Utrecht: Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema. ISBN 90-313-0224-4.