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Department

Botany and Molecular Evolution

No other Senckenbergian discipline dates back so directly to Johann Christian Senckenberg (1707-1772) like botany. His original foundation, the “Dr. Senckenbergische Stiftung” comprised a hospital, an anatomical theatre, the Senckenbergian library and a botanical garden, where a “Stiftsbotanikus” was appointed as botanist and head gardener.

The Stiftsbotanikus Johannes Becker (1769-1833) was one of the founding members of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) in 1817 (then: Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft) and the society’s first curator for botany. His personal collection formed the main core of the Herbarium Senckenbergianum. The herbarium grew steadily under the following curators for botany, e.g. Georg Fresenius, Theodor Geyler, Adolph Metzler. Several expeditions undertaken under the society’s auspices (e. g. Rüppell to Abyssinia and Arabia, Freyreiss to Brazil) also added important collections.

Collections

History

NEWS from the Dept. Botany and Molecular Evolution

NEWS 2026
NEWS 2025

Where botanical knowledge meets molecular insight.

A cooperation between Goethe University and Senckenberg

In 1995, Goethe University and Senckenberg agreed in combining a professorship at the then Botanical Institute of the Goethe University with the head of the division of the then „Division of Botany and Paleobotany“ at Senckenberg. The university contributed the professorship, Senckenberg the resources of the division. Since then, the division has contributed the full teaching obligations of a professorship (8+2 SWS) at Goethe University.

Part of the division is the Herbarium Senckenbergianum Frankfurt (FR), with over 1.5 million specimens the fifth largest herbarium in Germany. Another important basis for our research and teaching is the Grunelius-Möllgaard Lab, a molecular lab that the division runs for Senckenberg, which is open to Senckenberg and guest researchers.

SENCKENBERG
Research Institute and Natural History Museum
SENCKENBERG
Institutes
GOETHE UNIVERSITY
Department of Biological Sciences
Department Wanke
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