BULLETIIV 



OF 



THE CHARLESTON MUSEUM 



Vol. 9 CHARLESTON, S. C, DECEMBER, 1913 No. 8 



OTTO KUNTZE^ 



I -I 



Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze was born at Leipsic, Germany, June ^ 

 23, 1843. His early education was somewhat limited. He at- 

 tended the ' ' Realschule ' ' of his native city until he was fourteen 

 years of age, leaving it just before the completion of his course. 

 Later he studied for a short time at a commercial school. 



His interest in botany began when he was a mere boy, his 

 botanical teacher in those early years being Carl Otto Buln- 

 heim, who was instructor in natural science in the Leipsic schools. 

 Before he left that city, young Kuntze had collected nearly all 

 the species of plants that had ever been found in the vicinity, 

 and had accumulated the materials for his first book, a pocket 

 flora of the neighborhood of Leipsic, which was published in 1867. 



Meanwhile he had gone to Berlin, at the age of twenty, and 

 had spent three years there as a clerk, utilizing all of his spare 

 time for the collection of the plants of the region, often in com- 

 pany with the well-known Berlin botanists Alexander Braun and 

 Paul Ascherson. In 1867 appeared not only the pocket flora 

 already mentioned, but a revision of the German brambles 

 (Rubus), a group of plants in which he had taken particular in- 

 terest. The following winter was spent in travel through Italy 

 and southern France. 



1 NOTE : The New York Botanical Garden has given to the Charleston Museum the 

 European section of the Otto Kuntie herbarium. Since the Museum has hitherto had only 

 a email and scattered representation of European plants this extensive collection forms a 

 most important addition to the herbarium. 



The account of the interesting life and work of Otto Kuntze has been prepared for the 

 Bulletin by Dr. Barnhart of the New York Botanical Garden at the request of the Museum. 

 — Editob. 



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