Alexander Braun

Infobox Scientist
name = Alexander Braun
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caption = Alexander Braun
birth_date = May 10, 1805
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death_date = March 29, 1877
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field = botany
work_institutions = Freiburg Giessen University of Berlin
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known_for = morphology
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Alexander Carl Heinrich Braun (May 10, 1805 - March 29, 1877) was a German botanist from Regensburg, Bavaria. He studied botany in Heidelberg, Paris and Munich. In 1833 he began teaching botany at the Polytechnic School of Karlsruhe, and stayed there until 1846. Afterwards he was a professor of botany in Freiburg (1846), Giessen (1850) and at the University of Berlin (1851), where he remained until 1877. While in Berlin, he was also director of the Berlin Botanical Garden.

Braun is primarily known for his research concerning the morphology of plants. He was also a proponent of "nature philosophy" or vitalism, which was a popular 19th century speculative theory that stated that a regulative force exists within living matter in order to maintain functionality. Despite these beliefs, Braun made several contributions to the cell theory of biology.

A decorative plant known as Braun's holly fern ("polystichum braunii") is named after him.

References

* [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Braun German Wikipedia Site; Alexander Braun]