Biography

Polish botanist, geographer and traveller interested in the flora of Poland, particularly the bryophytes, and a monographer of the Hieracium L. genus. Anton Rehmann travelled to South Africa on two separate occasions and gathered a large number of plant specimens from little-collected regions. Born in Cracow, it seems he was fluent in both Polish and German and was probably of German ancestry. When writing in Polish he spelt his name Rehman, as opposed to the German spelling with two 'n's.

Interested in plants and plant collecting from a young age he began gathering specimens for his herbarium while at high school. In 1860 Rehmann entered the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and graduated three years later. Following this he worked as an assistant to Alth Czerwiakowski at the university and botanic garden (1863-1867) and soon received his doctorate. Producing his first publications during this period, Rehmann studied the moss and fern flora of Galicia (the historic region surrounding Cracow which is now largely Ukrainian). In 1866 a branch of the Cracow Scientific Society provided funding which allowed Rehmann to study in Munich. It was here that he was named docent (assistant professor) of plant anatomy and microscopy in 1868 and the same year he travelled and collected in southern Russia.

Continuing to study the flora of the Carpathian Mountains in Galicia and nearby Bukovina (on the border between Ukraine and Romania), Rehmann was the first to produce a map of bryophyte distribution in this region. Over the following years he travelled much of central and eastern Europe and became increasingly interested in broader geographic issues. Studying the steppes of Crimea and the Black Sea he was one of the first to research the relationship between the grassland and forests in this region. It was in 1873 that Rehmann produced his first publication on the Hieracium genus.

Leaving for South Africa for the first time in 1875, Rehmann spent nearly two years there and returned in 1877 to publish "Phytogeographical conditions in South Africa". After offering a large set of bryophyte specimens to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (England) for purchase, he also petitioned the institution for funding to visit India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Keen to travel in South East Asia he felt there would be more bryological diversity there, but alas, he was turned down. Instead returning to South Africa in 1879, Rehmann this time travelled as far north as Houtbosch in Transvaal. Finding in this region particularly fruitful collecting opportunities, he stayed there for several months before moving on to Natal.

Again on his return he published an account of his findings and, as his previous publication had, this one also included a map. In total Rehmann brought back over 9,000 specimens accounting for approximately 3,000 species. He focused on the bryophytes and spermatophytes primarily, but also collected ferns. His moss collection from South Africa was purchased by Kew but was transferred to BM (the Natural History Museum in London). His personal herbarium from Africa and Europe is at the University of Zurich (Z) and there may also be many types in Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Museum (B).

In between his two trips Rehmann returned to his studies in Europe and produced an important work on the vegetation of the Lithuanian Lake District. After his second African trip he finally settled in Lvov (also known as Lwów or Lemberg) where he was named professor of geography in 1882. His studies on the Hieracium genus continued and he also turned his attention to the study of Polish history and culture. Publishing extensively in this field he produced "The land of ancient Poland and the neighbouring Slav regions" in 1895. Some 60 species have been named for Rehmann, such as Hieracium rehmannii Zahn., although the genus Rehmannii Libosch. was after a physician of the same name.

Sources:
L.E. Codd and M. Gunn, 1982, "The collecting activities of Anton Rehmann (1840-1917) in South Africa", Bothalia, 14(1): 1-14
Z. Mirek, 1933, "Plant names formed in commemoration of botanists of the Cracow botanic garden", Polish Botanical Studies: Guidebook Series, 9: 95-111
F.A. Stafleu and R.S. Cowan, 1976-1998, Taxonomic Literature, 2nd edition (TL-2)
W. Szafer, 1969, Concise History of Botany in Cracow Against the Background of Six Centuries of the Jagiellonian University.