Alexander von Bunge | |
|---|---|
 Lithograph byEduard Hau, 1839 | |
| Born | 6 October 1803 Kiev, Russian Empire |
| Died | 18 July 1890(1890-07-18) (aged 86) |
| Education | Imperial University of Dorpat |
| Children | Gustav von Bunge,Alexander von Bunge |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Friedrich Georg von Bunge (brother) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | Imperial University of Dorpat,Kazan University |
| Thesis | De relatione methodi plantarum naturalis in vires vegetabilium medicalis |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Bunge |
Alexander Georg von Bunge (Russian:Алекса́ндр Андре́евич Бу́нге; 6 October [O.S. 24 September] 1803 – 18 July [O.S. 6 July] 1890) was a Russianbotanist. He is best remembered for scientific expeditions into Asia and especiallySiberia.
Bunge was born under the name Alexander Andreyevich von Bunge on 6 October [O.S. 24 September] 1803 inKiev as the second son of a family that belonged to theGerman minority in Tsarist Russia. His father, Andreas Theodor was apharmacist who had emigrated fromEast Prussia to Russia with his grandfather in the 18th century and his mother, Elisabeth von Bunge,née Fuhrmann. They moved toDorpat in 1815 after his father's death in 1814, and he attended high school from 1818 to 1821.[1] He was educated at Dorpat, where he attended thegymnasium from 1821 to 1825.[2] Then he studied medicine and obtained hisdoctorate of medicine from theImperial University of Dorpat in 1825.[3] He also studied botany there underCarl Friedrich von Ledebour and completed his thesis entitledDe relatione methodi plantarum naturalis in vires vegetabilium medicalis[4]
At early January, he worked as Head ofMetallurgy in the Kolyvan-Voskresensker factory under P. K. Frolov and as district physician inBarnaul (Tomsk Governorate) which located in SouthernSiberia.[1] The same year he went with Ledebour andCarl Anton von Meyer on an important scientific expedition to theKazakh Steppe andAltai Mountains. They spent five weeks across Russia to Barnaul during the summer and collected 1,600 plant specimens, which formed the basis of theFlora Altaica. This book was published in four volumes between 1829 and 1833.[4][5]
After the expedition, Bunge lived inKolyvan and transferred toZmeinogorsk until 1830. After recommendation byAlexander von Humboldt, whom Bunge met in 1829 when Humboldt visited Altai, he was given a scientific mission toPeking by theAcademy of St.Petersburg. Humboldt was on an expedition financed byTsar Nicholas. He was accompanied by Colonel Ladijenski aspristav (escort) and Dr. P. Kirilov as physician. Apart from him there were other researchers, includingGeorg Albert von Fuss asastronomer andmetereologist, and Kovanko asmineralogist. All of them were part of the eleventh ecclesiastical mission, which happened regularly, and were also to pick up the emissary for the tenth ecclesiastical mission. They went to Peking from theborder townKjachta at the end of O.S August 1830 viaUrga in September 1830, and arrived in Peking on 17 November 1830 after crossing theGobi Desert, and spent the winter in Peking. Bunge continued his research in March 1831 by going to the ruins known as Tsagan Balgasun located in Khalgan (Zhangjiakou). His research was finally stopped in May 1821 because he incurred the displeasure of the Chinese authorities when he stayed atBuddhistMonastery and did not get permission to go out of Peking[6]
They returned to Russia on 6 July 1831 with the emissary of the tenth ecclesiastical mission by following the western route that bypassed Kalgan and Urga.[6] They arrived in Russia in early September 1831 with their collection of 450 plant specimens. In addition to plants Bunge collected a fewbeetles, which were described byFranz Faldermann in his bookColeopterorum ab illustrissimo Bungio in China boreali, Mongolia, et Montibus Altaicis collectorum descriptio.[6]
After the expedition Bunge lived inIrkutsk for the rest of the winter. He spent his time in describing his collection. Most of it was saved in the herbarium of theRussian Academy of Sciences inSaint Petersburg and a small part was saved in the herbarium of theUniversity of Halle as part of a herbarium exchange and duplicated what was saved in St. Petersburg.[1] One of the plants that he named isViburnum fragrans Bunge (later renamedViburnum farreri Stearn, afterWilliam T. Stearn) and also appeared inEnumeratio plantarum quas in China boreali collegit.[4]
In April 1832 Bunge returned to his duties as physician in Barnaul, but not long afterwards he made another expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences to go toChuya, located in the eastern Altai mountains.[1] He went to St. Petersburg in 1833 and was nominated as a member of theRussian Academy of Sciences and he also became Professor of Botany inKazan University.[3] Bunge spent three years at this university, and during this period, he made an expedition to study plants from theVolga steppe before moving back to Dorpat in 1836 to become professor of botany in the University of Dorpat and director of the botanical garden.,[4] replacing Ledebour, who had retired.[7]
During his professorship Bunge made a scientific expedition toKhorasan and Afghanistan in 1857–58,[4] and another expedition toPersia throughHerat in 1858–1859, led byNikolái Vladímirovich Janykov. On the basis of this expedition, Bunge published a botanical treatise for the Russian Academy of Sciences and became an honorary member of the academy in 1875.[6] He kept in contact withDiederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal, a botanist at theUniversity of Halle, through correspondence, via articles published in the journal "Linnaea" and through the exchange ofherbarium specimens.[1] Bunge retired as professor in 1867 and was succeeded byHeinrich Moritz Willkomm.[1] He remained in Dorpat until 1881, spending his later years there investigatingEstonian flora.[2] Bunge edited theexsiccataFlora exsiccata Liv-, Esth- und Kurlands.[8]
He was the father ofphysiologistGustav von Bunge (1844–1920)[2] and ofAlexander von Bunge (1851–1930), an explorer andzoologist.[9] His older brother,Friedrich Georg von Bunge (1802–1897), was alegal historian.[1] Bunge died on 18 July [O.S. 6 July] 1890 in Dorpat.[10]
Acrater onMars and a place inNew Siberian Island calledBungeland was named after him.[4]
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