Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria Australian National Herbarium Biographical Notes

Ferdinand von Mueller (1825 - 1896)

Born at Rostock, Germany, on 30 June 1825 , died at Melbourne, Australia, on 10 October 1896.

He studied pharmacy and took his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Kiel in 1847. He came to Australia in 1848 for health reasons and became a great botanical collector and writer. He was Victorian Government Botanist from 1853, and for a time Director of the Botanic Gardens. He travelled widely in Victoria and was on the A.C.Gregory expedition to northern Australia in 1855-57. He supported botanical exploration and collecting throughout the colonies.

His botanical publications are very extensive, and include Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae published over the period 1858-82.

Dr Mueller received honours from many of the ruling Royal Houses of Europe, he was made a Baron by the King of Wurtemberg in 1871, and knighted by Queen Victoria.

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Archive of Mueller's correspondents (from King's College, London)

Detailed biography (from the Australian Dictionary of Biography)

Collecting localities listed for Mueller, F. from AVH (7/4/2015)

26,305 collections are listed in AVH

(Many collection localities on this map appear to be from areas that Mueller did not visit. In some cases his name may have been added to the labels of specimens collected by his wide network of correspondents.)

Portrait Photo: Derived from a carte de visite photograph by J.W.Lindt, East Melbourne, taken c. 1876–1884. Original image H37475/24 held by the State Library of Victoria, http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/MAIN:Everything:SLV_VOYAGER1725590