Herbarium page, ca. 1840, ca. 28.1 × 22.3 cm (all mounted specimens). State Natural History Museum, Karlsruhe, KR0193703.
The herbarium, part of a botanical collection by Alexander Braun (1805–1877), includes specimens such as the Chenopodium procerum of the genus goosefoot, here mounted on cardboard. Braun taught botany and zoology at Karlsruhe Polytechnical College from 1833 on. His courses were part of the curriculum of both the Forestry School and the Higher Vocational School, which were separate technical schools within the college. Although Braun’s primary role was teaching, his extensive collecting activities reflect his dedication to research. At this time, biologists focused on taxonomy, the comparative study of organisms, and conclusions drawn about their interrelatedness based on morphological characteristics. Such research and the resulting scientific publications likely facilitated Braun’s subsequent academic career. From 1846, professorships followed in Freiburg, Giessen, and ultimately at Berlin University. His professional development exemplifies that of many nineteenth-century scientists who used a polytechnical college as the first step toward a university career. This was also true institutionally. Staff exchanges with universities during this period were instrumental in the further development of Karlsruhe Polytechnical College. Botany and zoology, fields which Braun taught, continue to be part of KIT’s curriculum today. kn
Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter (1733–1806) was appointed in 1763 by the Electors of Baden to head the Botanical Palace Gardens and serve as Professor of Natural History in Karlsruhe. By crossing plant species, he demonstrated that in sexual reproduction, both the male and female contribute genetic information equally to their offspring. This finding challenged the prevailing belief of the time that inheritance occurred solely through the male. A century later, Kölreuter’s work provided important impetus for Gregor Mendel (1822–1884) 100 years later to explore the inheritance of individual traits across generations. Mendel’s research laid the foundation for genetics as a central discipline in biology. Kölreuter also observed that hybrids of closely related species exhibited particularly vigorous growth — a phenomenon now widely utilized in agriculture to enhance the yield of hybrid varieties. In recognition of Kölreuter’s pioneering contributions, the Botanical Institute at KIT was renamed the Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter Institute of Plant Sciences (JKIP) in 2023. Holger Puchta, Peter Nick (JKIP)
Dr. Peter Müller, Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein Karlsruhe