Hermann Hoffmann

Who was Hermann Hoffmann?

Heinrich Karl Hermann Hoffmann was a German botanist and mycologist born in Rödelheim.

He studied medicine at the University of Giessen, and in 1839 furthered his education in Berlin as a student of physiologist Johannes Peter Müller. In 1842 he earned his habilitation at Giessen, where he worked as a private lecturer. During this time his focus turned exclusively to botany, and in 1853 he became a professor of botany and director of the botanical gardens at Giessen. He maintained these positions until his death in 1891.

Hoffmann was a pioneer of botanical phenology. He also did important studies in the fields of plant physiology and phytogeography. He conducted research involving the biological aspects of fungi in relation to fermentation, putrefaction and disease, and also performed early investigations in the field of bacteriology.