Simon Shvendener Swiss botanist. Date of Birth: 10.02.1829 Country: Switzerland

Biography of Simon Schwendener

Simon Schwendener was a Swiss botanist born into a peasant family. He studied natural sciences and mathematics in Zurich, where he obtained his PhD in 1856, and in Geneva. Schwendener began his career as a teacher and later became an assistant professor to Negeli in Munich in 1857. In 1860, he became a private lecturer at the same university, and in 1867 he became a professor and director of the botanical garden in Basel. In 1877, he moved to the same position in Tubingen, and in 1878 he became an ordinary professor of botany and director of the 2nd (anatomical and physiological) botanical institute in Berlin, which he himself founded.

Schwendener, a talented student of Negeli, was known for his ability to explain and generalize existing knowledge based on precise scientific principles rather than simply collecting new facts. He made significant contributions to the field of lichenology by demonstrating that lichen bodies are the result of a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi, laying the foundation for modern lichenology.

In his classic work "Das mechanische Prinzip im anatomischen Bau der Monocotyledonen," Schwendener showed that monocotyledonous plants have a special mechanical tissue that serves as their skeleton and is located in their organs to provide the greatest strength. This research marked the beginning of physiological plant anatomy, which was further developed by his student G. Haberlandt. Haberlandt explained the arrangement and form of plant tissues based on their physiological functions.

In his work "Mechanical Theory of Leaf Structure," Schwendener also explained the mechanical arrangement of leaves. He established a school of botanists, including Haberlandt, Volkmann, M.O. Reingardt, and Ville, whose task was to explain the facts of plant morphology and anatomy from a mechanical and physiological perspective.

Working together with Negeli, Schwendener co-authored the best botanical guide of the time on the theory and practice of microscopy. They also wrote works on optical microscopy, the refraction of light by plant objects, and other related topics.