Friedrich Sellow (var.Sello^[1]) (1789–1831) was a Germanbotanist andnaturalist. He was one of the earliest European scientific explorers ofBrazil andUruguay , and a major collector ofBrazilian flora.

Friedrich Sellow was born on March 12, 1789. He was the eldest son of Carl Julius Samuel Sello, thegardener of the Royal Court ofPotsdam. After learning the gardening profession with relatives, Sellow went to work and study in the Botanical Garden ofBerlin under the patronage of its director,Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765–1812). In 1810 Sellow travelled toParis to study. Here he attended scientific lectures byGeorges Cuvier andJean-Baptiste Lamarck, and worked at theJardin des Plantes.

In the next year, with recommendations and financial assistance fromAlexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), Sellow traveled to theNetherlands andEngland, coming in contact with the most prominent botanists of the time. During theNapoleonic Wars Sellow avoided France and the rest of continental Europe, accepting an invitation by the Russian consulBaron von Langsdorff (1774–1852), to be part of a scientific expedition the baron was organizing inBrazil. (Langsdorff was serving at the time as a diplomat inRio de Janeiro.) In 1814, with the financial backing of British botanists, and after having made meticulous preparations, Sellow sailed to Rio de Janeiro. There, he and his colleagues were well received by the Portuguese colonial government, and Sellow soon began receiving a generous annual salary as an official naturalist. Sellow learned to speakPortuguese, and carried out initially smaller excursions in the environs of Rio de Janeiro; including, from 1815 to 1817, an expedition led by the German princeMaximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782–1867). From these expeditions Sellow collected many specimens which he sent back to London. One of these wasSalvia splendens, known as Lee's scarlet sage, which became popular as an ornamental summer flower in England and Germany.

Further financing fromPrussia allowed Sellow to undertake numerous other expeditions in southern Brazil andUruguay during the next 11 years; he traveled into the unexplored regions of the country, and collected thousands ofplants,seeds,wood samples,insects andminerals. In the tradition of independent 19th century naturalists, he sent these collections tobotanical gardens in Brazil,Portugal, England and Germany. Among the seed specimens of South American ornamental plants sent by Sellow wereBegonia cucullata (pearl begonia), and the white-petaledPetunia axillaris (wild white petunia) which were soon popular in Europe, particularly across Germany,Switzerland andAustria, and were planted on balconies of homes.

In one of hisethnographic expeditions, Sellow accompanied the diplomatIgnaz Maria von Olfers (1793–1872), who later became the first general manager of the Royal Prussian museums. Some of Sellow's scientific collections from Uruguay and Brazil are divided between theMuseum of Natural History of Berlin, theEthnological Museum of Berlin, and theMuseum of Natural History of Vienna. These collections include, in addition to botany, many zoological preparations, insects, shells, ethnographic drawings and original diaries.

In October 1831, Sellow met an unfortunate and untimely end by drowning in a river when only 42 years old. His versatile and rich contribution to the botanical knowledge of Brazilian flora remained largely forgotten until recently, when his name was honored withSellowia, a botanical journal published inItajaí, Brazil.

Botanical specimens collected by Sellow are cared for in institutions worldwide. These include theKew Herbarium, theBerlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum,Plantentuin Meise and theNational Herbarium of Victoria,Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.^[2]

• H.-D. Krausch:Friedrich Sello, ein vergessener Pflanzensammler aus Potsdam.Zandera 17 (2002), Nr. 2, S.73-76. (In German)