Biography

Finnish botanist who travelled extensively in the south of European Russia, establishing the Nikita Botanical Garden in the Crimea. Christian von Steven was born in Fredriksham (Hamina) in Finland and studied in Jena and St. Petersburg from 1795, receiving his medical doctorate from the university of the latter in 1798. After working briefly as a doctor he met Friedrich Marschall von Bieberstein, German botanist and explorer in the Crimea, who introduced him to the silk industry. Soon Steven was working as an inspector of silk production in Kislar and in 1803 visited the Caucasus before moving there in 1806 to become assistant director of silk inspection under von Bieberstein.

Based in Simferopol from then until his death, Steven travelled the area collecting plants and insects and founded the Nikita Botanical Garden in 1812. Directing this garden until 1827 he also travelled in Central Europe in 1820-1821. Around the time of his retirement from the garden Steven became the general inspector of the silk industry for the whole of Russia (1826-1841) and following that was named general inspector for south Russian agriculture as a whole, a role he carried out until 1850. His rich collection of insects was left to the University of Moscow in 1823 and his herbarium was given to Helsinki University in 1861, two years before his death.

Steven published several contributions to the flora of Russia, particularly that of the Caucasus region including Stirpes rariores in itinere Caucasico (1913), as well as treatments of the Pedicularis L. and Saxifraga genera. Some 21 species have also been named after him.

Sources:
E. von Lindemann, 1885, "Dritter bericht üren den bestand meines herbariums" Bulletin Société Naturalistes Moscou, 61: 73-74
F.A. Stafleu and R.S. Cowan, 1976-1998, Taxonomic Literature, 2nd edition (TL-2).