Biography

German lichenologist and professor at the University of Breslau. Gustav Wilhelm Körber (sometimes Latinised to Koerber) was born in Hirschberg, Lower Silesia, and was schooled in his home town, which is now in south-west Poland. From 1835 he continued his studies in Breslau (now the Polish city of Wrocłow) and later, from 1838, in Berlin. The following year Körber was named Doctor of Philosophy and he soon embarked upon a successful teaching career. Returning to Breslau he worked as a teacher and head teacher in the 'Elisabethanum' school, and from 1862 worked as a private teacher. It was in 1873 that he was named professor at the Breslau University. Körber developed quite a reputation as a lichenologist; focusing on the lichen flora of Central Europe he became one of the top authorities at the time. His knowledge of the German flora focussed upon the Silesian region, but outside of his home country he studied the lichen of Switzerland, Carinthia, Istria, Herzegovina, Slavonia, Dalmatian, Tirol, Corsica, Sardinia, the Greek Islands and even arctic regions such as Nova Zembla. As well as floristics and taxonomy, he also studied lichen biology and was interested in reproduction. Körber died in Breslau in July 1885 but he is remembered in the names of two lichen genera (Koerberia Massal. and Koerberiella Stien.) as well as in several species epithets.

Sources:
V. Grummann, 1974, Biographisch-bibliographisches Handbuch der Lichenologie: 23-24
Index Collectorum, University of Gottingen:
http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/187062.html, accessed 10 November 2010.