Lichenes Europaei Collection

Lichenes Europaei Collection

Gottlob Ludwig Rabenhorst (1806-1881), a German botanist from Treuenbrietzen, began his career as a pharmacist, a profession that in the early nineteenth century was closely linked to the knowledge of plants and their medicinal use. Thanks to this interest, he continued his studies in botany at the University of Berlin and obtained his doctorate from the University of Jena in 1841, specializing in the study of so-called cryptogamic plants, that is, algae, fungi, mosses, and lichens. After working as a pharmacist in Luckau until 1840, he moved to Dresden, where he became one of the most important figures in nineteenth-century German botany. During these years he published the first volumes of the major work Deutschlands Kryptogamenflora and founded the scientific journal Hedwigia, which became fundamental reference points for the study of cryptogams. Thanks to these editorial initiatives, Rabenhorst made a decisive contribution to the dissemination and organization of knowledge on algae, fungi, mosses, and lichens in Central Europe. Although he was interested in all groups of cryptogams, he devoted numerous works particularly to lichens and fungi and was very active in the preparation of the so-called exsiccatae series, collections of dried specimens distributed to various herbaria to allow scholars to compare the same materials. Among these, the most important were Fungi Europaei and Lichenes Europaei, which circulated in many European and international herbaria, facilitating comparison among scholars and helping to clarify species classification. The wide distribution of his exsiccatae series is today evidenced by the presence of numerous specimens from the Lichenes Europaei collection preserved in many institutions around the world, including the Herbarium of the University of Michigan, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, the Museum of Natural History of the University of Colorado, the University of Helsinki, and the Museum of Evolution of Uppsala University. The preservation of these collections in various international herbaria demonstrates both Rabenhorst’s scientific authority and the lasting importance of his editorial activity.

The Lichenes Europaei collection preserved in Portici consists of 34 volumes bound with hard cardboard covers. Inside each volume there are specimens mounted on herbarium sheets or preserved in small boxes containing the original substrate on which the lichens grow, thus preserving the appearance and structure of the collection as it had been prepared in the nineteenth century. Overall, the Lichenes Europaei collection comprises 939 herbarium specimens, corresponding to 782 different species names (complete list of the collection).

Note
It was deemed appropriate not to open the specimens preserved in sealed envelopes, in order to avoid possible damage to the material contained within them. However, upon justified and specific request, scholars in the field may examine these specimens under the supervision of the responsible staff.

Prof. Riccardo Motti
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