Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule

Who is Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule?

Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule was a German botanist and explorer. He was the son of science writer Otto Eduard Vincenz Ule and brother to geographer Wilhelm Ule.

Originally trained as a gardener, he emigrated to Brazil in 1883, where he worked as a private tutor and botanical collector. Subsequently he served as naturalista viajante at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, where he was appointed sub-director, and later director, of the museum's botanical department.

In 1900–1903 he undertook a scientific expedition to the Amazonas region of Brazil, also conducting botanical studies in neighboring countries. After his return to Germany, he worked as a scientific assistant at the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Museum.

Ule has several botanical genera named in his honor, such as:

Uleanthus, named by Hermann Harms, family Fabaceae.

Ulearum, named by Adolf Engler, family Araceae.

Uleiorchis, named by Frederico Carlos Hoehne, family Orchidaceae.

Uleodendron, named by Stephan Rauschert, family Moraceae.

Uleophytum, named by Georg Hieronymus, family Asteraceae.