Arend Friedrich Wiegmann

Arend Joachim Friedrich Wiegmann (March 30, 1770 - March 12, 1853) was a German pharmacist and botanist who was a native of Hadersleben.

Originally an apprentice pharmacist to his uncle in Braunschweig, he spent the following years working in several pharmacies in Germany and Switzerland. Following the death of his uncle in 1796, he inherited the Braunschweig pharmacy, which he subsequently sold to concentrate on scientific studies. In 1820 he became a lecturer of natural sciences at the Collegium Carolinum in Braunschweig, and in 1832 he received the title of professor.

Wiegmann is remembered for his 1839 manual on phytopathology called Die Krankheiten und krankhaften Missbildungen der Gewachse. He also published an important work involving the origins of peat called Über die Entstehung, Bildung und das Wesen des Torfes.

The plant genus Wiegmannia from the family Rubiaceae is named after Wiegmann. He was the father of zoologist Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann (1802-1841).

References

• This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.