Jacob Fellman – the botanising priest

Amateur botanist Jacob Fellman (1793–1875), priest of northernmost Finland at Utsjoki in 1820– 1831, was the first Finn to study the flora of northernmost East Fennoscandia. He did several long expeditions to Lapponia inarensis (Finland), to East Finnmark (Norway) and to the western Kola Peninsula region (Northwest Russia). His main publications include lists of the species of those areas, as well as their localities and frequencies (J. Fellman 1831, 1835). His memoirs (J. Fellman 1906a) also contain a great deal of plant information. Fellman was also interested in economic plants and phenological observations. During his years at Utsjoki, Jacob Fellman was one of the few botanists to live permanently in northernmost Europe. He became well known early on, maintaining contact with several European botanists and exchanging plants with them. His work, known as ”Herbarium Fellman”, has until now remained uneaxamined. It includes a number of specimens collected by European botanists, comprising altogether 1385 specimens collected mostly in Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Only about 70 specimens collected by Fellman have been placed before in the collections of the Botanical Museum at the University of Helsinki. As a result of the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, in which most of the botanical collection burned. ”Herbarium Fellman” contains important historic specimens of that era. From 1832, Fellman served as a vicar in Lappajärvi, Central Finland. During this second career of his life, his collecting activity nearly ceased. ”Herbarium Fellman” is now incorporated into the main collections at H. All specimens are databased

Carl Reinhold Sahlberg – Demonstrator in Botany at old Åbo Akademi, later Professor in Botany and Zoology at Imperial Alexander University of Finland

Sahlberg was the temporary Demonstrator in Botany 1805–06, Demonstrator in Botany 1810–13, Associate Professor in Natural History and Museum Inspector 1813–16, temporary Professor in Natural History 1816–18, Professor 1818–1841 at old Åbo Akademi and at Imperial Alexander University of Finland. As a Demonstrator, his main duty was to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. In his research, he focused on insects, especially the Coleoptera. As a botanist, his major achievements were building the Herbarium and Botanic Garden, in two phases. Prior to the Great Fire of Åbo in 1827, he acted at old Åbo Akademi. During that period, he acquired an extensive collection to the Botanical Museum during his visits to Sweden in 1801 and 1806, and to St. Petersburg in 1813, and by exchange especially with Professors Olof Swartz and Carl Peter Thunberg. Travel to St. Petersburg was fruitful, 1 500 species of seeds, 240 roots and cuttings was received to Åbo Botanic Garden. Those were arranged by Count Vladimir Grigorievich Orlow, botanist Christian Friedrich Stephan, gardeners Johann Peter Buek and Jason Petrow in St. Petersburg, and probably by Count Alexei Razumovsky and Professor von Fischer in Moskow. In 1821 Sahlberg established Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, to increase knowledge on Finnish animals and plants. After the Great Fire of Åbo, everything had to be re-built in Helsinki, the new capital of Finland since 1812. University had to move in 1828. In Helsinki Sahlberg built up new collections, first by selling his private plant collection consisting of 5 132 specimens to the Alexander University of Finland. Others collections were also bought. At the time of his retirement in 1841, the Herbarium consisted of ca. 40 000 specimens, Botanic Garden of 5 000 species. After retirement, Sahlberg establish an orchard to Yläne, SW Finland, at his Uusikartano estate. It was the largest orchard of its time in Finland, with over 1 200 apple trees

Mårten Magnus Wilhelm Brenner, Finnish plant enthusiast

Mårten Magnus Wilhelm Brenner (1843–1930) was a controversial figure in Finnish botany. He was a passionate non-professional botanist, amongst the most diligent Finnish writers of his time having published 220 articles or notes. He described 833 taxa, including 411 species, six subspecies, 196 varieties, four subvarieties, 199 forms and 17 subforms. Typifications of 151 names are provided in a separate article. Brenner was particularly interested in the Hieracium taxonomy, but he studied several other plant genera and species during almost 60 years of botanical activity: Alnus, Erophila [Draba] verna, Euphrasia, Juncus, Linnaea borealis, Picea abies, Pimpinella saxifraga, Primula officinalis [veris], Rosa, Sorbus aucuparia, Taraxacum and Viola tricolor, for example. His descriptions resulted largely from his own collection activity without any synoptic work. Typically, each taxon was based on small, minor details, sometimes on a single or a few specimens, and often characterised by local distribution. Producing detailed infraspecific classifications was common practice in those times, apparently inspired by the German school of taxonomy, which was later called the Aschersonian approach. For many obvious reasons, botanists of that and later eras did not appreciate Brenner’s taxonomic results. Only some Euphrasia (one taxa), Hieracium (11) and Tarxacum (20) names are currently accepted in the Checklist of Finnish vascular plants, and E. wettstenii var. botniensium has recently been recognised. Brenner’s interest was not restricted to vascular plants. He collected an amount of lichens in late 1869 and 1870 on the island of Suursaari in the Gulf of Finland, for example, and he published extensive floristic accounts of Suursaari and northern Finland. He focused also on ecology and was concerned about changes in nature resulting from human activity. In northern Finland he collected bryophytes, many of which were new to Northern Ostrobothnia. He wrote a review of the history of lichenology in Finland, which the editorial board considered supercritical and did not accept, and which he therefore released as a self-published edition. Brenner became a member of the Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica in 1863, holding the position of Secretary in 1866–1876, and he was a member of the Printing Committee for the Publication Series in 1873–1878, 1884–1888 and 1890–1894. However, he was disliked because of his arrogant and presumptuous character, and he sometimes referred to the findings of others as his own at the monthly meetings of the Societas. Eventually, in 1890, he drifted into a polemical relationship with researchers working at the Botanical Museum. His extensive private herbarium was donated posthumously to the Botanical Museum, nowadays the Botanical Museum (H), Finnish Museum of Natural History (Luomus), University of Helsinki, and, he had already donated several batches of plant specimens he collected on trips funded by the Society. Carex brenneri Christ. is lectotypified here.Peer reviewe

Anders Thiodolf Saelan – the botanising medicus

Anders Thiodolf Saelan (1834–1921) was a notable non-professional botanist in late 19th and early 20th century Finland, and was amongst the most diligent writers of his time in the country, authoring five book, 75 articles, and 83 communications, for a total of 163 texts. Saelan was particularly known for writing extensive botanical reviews, such as Herbarium Musei Fennici in 1889 and ”Bibliography of Finnish botanical literature until the end of 1900”. He described 59 taxa, including two species, Hieracium linifolium and H. pilipes, 19 varieties, 36 forms, and two subforms. Typifications of 44 names are provided in a separate article. Saelan’s type collection like other specimens are deposited at the Botanical Museum (H), Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Finland. Saelan was an active member of the Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, of which he became a member in 1856, eventually holding the position of vice-chairman 1872–1889 and chairman 1889–1892. He was also a member of the Printing Committee and was made an Honorary Member of the Societas on 5 November 1904.Anders Thiodolf Saelan (1834–1921) was a notable non-professional botanist in late 19th and early 20th century Finland, and was amongst the most diligent writers of his time in the country, authoring five book, 75 articles, and 83 communications, for a total of 163 texts. Saelan was particularly known for writing extensive botanical reviews, such as Herbarium Musei Fennici in 1889 and ”Bibliography of Finnish botanical literature until the end of 1900”. He described 59 taxa, including two species, Hieracium linifolium and H. pilipes, 19 varieties, 36 forms, and two subforms. Typifications of 44 names are provided in a separate article. Saelan’s type collection like other specimens are deposited at the Botanical Museum (H), Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Finland. Saelan was an active member of the Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, of which he became a member in 1856, eventually holding the position of vice-chairman 1872–1889 and chairman 1889–1892. He was also a member of the Printing Committee and was made an Honorary Member of the Societas on 5 November 1904.Peer reviewe

Johannes Gustavus Justander (1764–1833) – Demonstrator in Botany at old Åbo Akademi

Justander was in order the third Demonstrator in Botany (1789–1794) at Åbo Akademi. The main duty of demonstrators were to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. Justanders personal history is not well known. He defended to both Carl Niclas Hellenius and Pehr Adrian Gadd one theses, and supervised one himself, in order to obtain a docentship at Åbo Akademi. In that one new species, Festuca obliqua, and its four varietes are described as new. These validly published names have completely been overlooked. All material was probably lost at the Great Fire of Åbo in 1827

Anders Dahl (1751–1789) – Demonstrator in Botany at old Åbo Akademi

Dahl was the second Demonstrator in Botany (1786–1789) at Åbo Akademi. He died soon after arriving to Åbo (Turku), and his career here is poorly known. The main duty of demonstrators were to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. Dahl sent to Åbo a considerable herbarium prior to his arrival. It included 6000 specimens, of which about 1000 had once belonged to Herbarium Linnaeanum, but donated to Claes Alströmer, Dahls employer at Alingsås, Christinedahl, Västra Götaland in Sweden. That herbarium, like all collections at Åbo, were almost completely burn in 1827 in the Great Fire of Åbo. The number of exsisting specimens in Herbarium Dahlianum at University of Helsinki, Botanical Museum is 215. It includes specimens once owned by e.g. Pehr Kalm, Carl von Linné the Elder and Younger, Peter Simon Pallas, Carl Peter Thunberg and Martin Vahl

Johan Ernst Adhemar Wirzén – the last demonstrator in botany at Alexander University

Wirzén was the last Demonstrator in Botany (1839–1852) at Alexander University, Helsinki, Finland. His main duty was to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. He gave also lectures on officinal plants and plant taxonomy, and private lessons on plant physiology. He supervised six theses. In his own dissertation were given several erroneous records concerning vascular plants distributions in Finland. However, it was the first attemp to define the borders of biogeographical Finland. In 1833–1835 he studied Russian flora at Kazan University, on the Volga River. Based on field excursions there, he supervised a thesis In geographica plantarum per partem provinciae Casanensis distributione illustranda periculum. Two species new to science were described, viz. Echinospermum casanense and Stellaria mollis, and seven new varieties. Corresponding specimens have not been found in the Finnish Museum of Natural History, Botanical Museum (H). Wirzen’s new names have been completely overlooked by Russian and other taxonomists. Wirzén was considered to be a relatively weak botanist, but as a doctor of medicine he fared better

Harald Lindberg – a Finnish botanist

Harald Lindberg was one of the most eminent botanist in Finland during the 1900’s. He studied a wide range of taxa, including subfossils and bryophytes. He investigated subfossils on peatlands in 60 municipalities, many of them now belonging to Russia. Lindberg described 11 new bryophyte taxa, and discovered 12 new species to Finland (including areas of former Finnish territory of today’sRussia). For East Fennoscandia he described 8 new vascular plant species to science, discovered 42 new species and 26 hybrids to country. Apomictic species interested him also, and he described 4 new Alchemilla species, 34 Hieraciumtaxa and 80 Taraxacum species or subspecies. Later he became expertise also onMediterranean species, and described 50 new species and 22 subspecies, especially fromMorocco and Spain. Plantae Finlandiae Exsiccatae was an extensive effort. 2,081 numbers were distributed to 23 museum

Fredrik Wilhelm Radloff – Demonstrator in Botany at old Åbo Akademi

Radloff was the Demonstrator in Botany (1806–1809) at Åbo Akademi. His main duty was to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. In his own thesis, De Myristica, supervised by Professor Carl Peter Thunberg, he presented morphological characters of two species of the genus. Two theses supervised by Radloff provide valuable information on plantations in the old Åbo Akademi Botanic Garden. Prior to this position Radloff was appointed regional Physician of Åland 1789–1799. There he compiled a regional description that includes a list of local species. The latter part of his career in Finland Radloff acted as a secretary of the Royal Finnish Economy Society 1805–1813. In those years Radloff wrote on the cultivation trials of root crops and fences

Johan Fredrik Wallenius – Demonstrator in Botany at old Åbo Akademi

Wallenius was the Demonstrator in Botany (1800–1805) at Åbo Akademi. His main duty was to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. In his own thesis supervised by Professor Carl Niclas Hellenius was introduced surrogate food to compensate grain due to the repeated years of crop failures in 18th century. That theme was repeated by him also in some publications. He supervised six theses with botanical content, of which two provided important historical information of Åbo Akademi Botanical Gardens. In thesis of genus Ammi one species is described as new to science, Ammi boerberi Höckert. This neglected name is synonymous to A. majus L. Höckert was third one in Finland who described a new species to science