Engler, (Heinrich Gustav) Adolf (1844–1930)

German taxonomical botanist who wrote several important taxonomic references and developed a system of classification that was widely accepted. His Syllabus der Pflanzennamen/Syllabus of Plant Names 1892 is still in use. He collaborated with Alphonse de Candolle from 1878–91 on Monographiae Phanerogamarum/Monographs of Flowering Plants and started the Botanical Yearbooks.

Engler was born in Sagan, Prussia and attended the University of Breslau, graduating with a PhD 1866. Four years later, he was made a custodian at the Botanical Institute of Munich, and in 1878, moved to Kiel to take up a professorship at the university there. He returned to Breslau 1884 as the professor of botany and director of the botanical garden of the university. He moved to Berlin 1889, where he was made the director of the Berlin Botanical Garden, Dahlem. He remained in this position until 1921 taking responsibility for improving and reshaping the gardens.

He travelled throughout the world, making several trips to Africa and went on an expedition around the world 1913. He started the Botanical Yearbooks 1880, which he edited until his death.