Hermann Wendland’s Botanical Explorations in Central America (1856-1857) I. From Guatemala to the Central Valley in Costa Rica

 

Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs: Dowe, John Leslie, Hilje Quirós, Luko
Format: artículo original
Statut:Versión publicada
Date de publication:2023
Description:As court gardener for the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen, the German botanist Hermann Wendland travelled to Central America in 1856-1857 under the auspices of the King of Hannover, to collect living plants and herbarium specimens for the gardens. He wrote a travel diary of his nearly eight-month expedition through Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, which was published in the journal Hamburger Garten- und Blumenzeitung. In this paper we provide an annotated Spanish translation of the first part of that document, which covers the journey from Guatemala to his stay in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Wendland’s contribution was significant in regards to the large number of new species described from his botanizing, which correspond to more than 185 that were new to science from a total of about 540 gatherings represented by about 1280 extant specimens, mainly orchids, palm trees and aroids; most of his botanical collection is held in the herbarium of the University of Göttingen (GOET). In his account, Wendland did not restrict himself to botanical matters, but also encompassed a wealth of aspects of the daily life of Central American people, describing their traditions, food, health, religion, culture and politics. Among the latter he wrote about the capitulation of the filibuster leader William Walker who, with the support of the United States slave states, attempted to establish slavery and annex the five Central American countries for the United States.
Pays:Portal de Revistas TEC
Institution:Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica
Repositorio:Portal de Revistas TEC
Langue:Español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/6580
Accès en ligne:https://revistas.tec.ac.cr/index.php/comunicacion/article/view/6580
Mots-clés:Herrenhausen Gardens
University of Göttingen
Guatemala
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Karl Hoffmann
Central American war
William Walker
Literature
Jardines de Herrenhausen
Universidad de Göttingen
guerra centroamericana
Literatura