Julius Wiesner

Who was Julius Wiesner?

Dr. Julius Ritter von Wiesner was a professor of botany at the University of Vienna, a specialist in the physiology and anatomy of plants.

In 1870 he became a professor at the forestry academy of Mariabrunn, and from 1873 to 1909, was a professor of plant anatomy and physiology at the University of Vienna. At Vienna he founded the department of plant physiology. During his career, he took part in scientific expeditions to Egypt, India, Java, Sumatra, North America and the Arctic.

His research included studies on phototropism in plants, on the formation of chlorophyll. and investigations involving the technological properties of plant raw materials.

Recognised as an accomplished botanist and author of German language books and papers — his 1881 work on the movement in plants was read and discussed by Charles Darwin — the genus Wiesneria commemorates his name.