Adolf Engler

German botanist (1844-1930).

Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler (25 March 1844 – 10 October 1930) was a German botanist. He is notable for his work on plant taxonomy and phytogeography, such as Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien (The Natural Plant Families), edited with Karl A. E. von Prantl. Even now, his system of plant classification, the Engler system, is still used by many herbaria and is followed by writers of many manuals and floras. It is still the only system that treats all 'plants' (in the wider sense, algae to flowering plants) in such depth. Engler published a prodigious number of taxonomic works. He used various ar

Abbreviations: Engl.
Occupations: scientific collector, editor, university teacher, curator, botanist, taxonomist, botanical collector
Citizenships: Weimar Republic
Languages: German
Dates: 1844-03-25T00:00:00Z – 1930-10-10T00:00:00Z
Birth place: Żagań
Direct attributions: 2,341 plants, 5 fungi
Authorship mentions: 3,057 plants, 5 fungi

2,341 plants attributed, 716 plants contributed to3,057 plants:

Fagales (Walnuts) Engl. 1892
plant order in the class magnoliopsida
The Fagales are an order of flowering plants in the rosid group of dicotyledons, including some of the best-known trees. Well-known members of Fagales include: beeches, chestnuts, oaks, walnut, pecan, hickory, birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, she-oaks, and southern beeches. The order name is derived from genus Fagus (beeches).
Actinidiaceae (Chinese Gooseberry Family) Engl. & Gilg 1924
plant family in the order ericales
The Actinidiaceae are a small family of flowering plants. The family has three genera and about 360 species and is a member of the order Ericales.
Zamioculcas zamiifolia (Zz Plant) (G.Lodd.) Engl. 1905
perennial plant species in the araceae family
Zamioculcas is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, containing the single species Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It is a tropical herbaceous perennial plant, and is native to eastern Africa, including Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its common names include Zanzibar gem, Zuzu plant, emerald palm, ZZ plant, aroid palm and eternity plant. It is commonly grown as a houseplant, mainly because it has attractive glossy foliage and is easy to care for. Zamioculcas zamiifolia is winter-hardy in USDA Zones 9 and 10.
Pandaceae (Kana Family) Engl. & Gilg 1913
plant family in the order malpighiales
The family Pandaceae consists of three genera that were formerly classified as the tribe Galearieae in the subfamily Acalyphoideae of family Euphorbiaceae. Those are: Galearia Microdesmis Panda These genera contain 17 species, which especially live in West Africa or Southeast Asia. Species in this family are dioecious trees or shrubs, with alternate, simple leaves. The genus Centroplacus was formerly included in the Pandaceae and had also been recognized in the tribe Centroplaceae of family Phyllanthaceae. The APG III system recognized this genus as a part of the family Centroplacaceae.
Ginkgoaceae (Ginkgo Family) Engl. 1897
plant family in the order ginkgoales
The Ginkgoaceae are a family of gymnosperms which appeared during the Mesozoic Era, of which the only extant representative is Ginkgo biloba, which is for this reason sometimes regarded as a living fossil. Formerly, however, there were several other genera, and forests of ginkgo existed. Because leaves can take such diverse forms within a single species, these are a poor measure of diversity, although differing structures of wood point to the existence of diverse ginkgo forests in ancient times.
Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh) (T.Nees) Engl. 1883
plant species in the burseraceae family
Commiphora myrrha, called myrrh, Somali myrrh, herabol myrrh, common myrrh, is a tree in the family Burseraceae. It is one of the primary trees used in the production of myrrh, a resin made from dried tree sap. The Commiphora myrrha tree is indigenous to Somalia, in the Somali regions of Ethiopia and Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea and parts of the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen and Oman). Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin that is similar to frankincense. The tree species that produces myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) thrives well in the arid and semi-arid regions. Somalia is the largest producer of both myrrh and
Crossosomataceae Engl. 1897
plant family in the order crossosomatales
Crossosomataceae is a small plant family, consisting of four genera of shrubs found only in the dry parts of the American southwest and Mexico. This family has included up to ten species in the past, although as of 2021 six species are still recognised. Crossosoma are shrub-like plants which can vary from being 50 cm to 5 meters tall, with small alternating leaves that surround the stem, or leaves clustered in small spurts (fascicles). Apacheria, however, has opposite leaves. Crossosoma has usually white flowers that are generally bisexual and have 5 petals attached to a nectary disk, but in
Pentaphylacaceae (Pentaphylax Family) Engl. 1897
plant family in the order ericales
The Pentaphylacaceae are a small family of plants within the order Ericales. In the APG III system of 2009, it includes the former family Ternstroemiaceae.
Thurniaceae Engl. 1907
plant family in the order poales
The Thurniaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of two genera with four species. The botanical name has been recognized by most taxonomists. The APG II system, of 2003, also recognizes such a family, and assigns it to the order Poales in the clade commelinids, in the monocots. The family consists of two genera, totalling only a few species, perennial plants of wet habitats in South America and South Africa. This represents a slight change from the APG system, 1998, which treated the two genera as each constituting their own family (Prioniaceae and Thurniaceae), both placed in the
Schinopsis Engl. 1876
plant genus in the anacardiaceae family
Schinopsis is a genus of South American trees in the family Anacardiaceae, also known by the common names quebracho, quebracho colorado and red quebracho. In Brazil it is known as baraúna or braúna.
Canarium ovatum (Pili Nut) Engl. 1883
plant species in the burseraceae family
Canarium ovatum, the pili (Central Bikol and Filipino: pili, PEE-lee;), is a species of tropical tree belonging to the genus Canarium. It is one of approximately 600 species in the family Burseraceae. C. ovatum are native to the Philippines. They are commercially cultivated in the Philippines for their edible nuts and are believed to be indigenous to that country. The fruit and tree are often vulgarized with the umbrella term of "Java almond" which mixes multiple species of the same genus, Canarium.
Bryidae Engl. 1892
plant subclass
Bryidae is an important subclass of Bryopsida. It is common all over the world. Members have a double peristome with alternating tooth segments.
Epipremnum pinnatum (Native Monstera) (L.) Engl. 1908
medicinal plant species in the araceae family
Epipremnum pinnatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae. It has many common names, including centipede tongavine, taro vine, silver vine and dragon-tail plant. In the Philippines, it is known in Tagalog as tibatib. Epipremnum pinnatum starts life on the ground and climbs up trees in its natural forest environment, transitioning to an epiphytic lifestyle over time. It exhibits foliage dimorphism, where juvenile leaves look different from mature leaves of the same plant.
Dracaena braunii Engl. 1892
perennial plant species in the asparagaceae family
Dracaena braunii is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. It was named after the German collector Braun, Johannes M. (1859–1893). Most plants named Dracaena braunii in cultivation are Dracaena sanderiana, a plant with flowers five times longer than those of D. braunii, while the leaf base is not congested as in D. braunii.
Commiphora africana (Hairy Corkwood) Engl. 1883
plant species in the burseraceae family
Commiphora africana, commonly called African myrrh, is a small deciduous tree belonging to the Burseraceae, a family akin to the Anacardiaceae, occurring widely over sub-Saharan Africa in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Eswatini, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. On sandy soils this species sometimes forms pure stands, deserving consideration as a plant community or association. Closely related to C. glandulosa, C. africana is usually some 5m tall, its branchlets often
Terminalia superba (Shinglewood) Engl. & Diels 1900
medicinal plant species in the combretaceae family
Terminalia superba, the superb terminalia, limba, afara (UK), korina (US), frake (Africa), African limba wood, or ofram (Ghana), is a large tree in the family Combretaceae, native to tropical western Africa. It grows up to 60 m tall, with a domed or flat crown, and a trunk typically clear of branches for much of its height, buttressed at the base. The leaves are 10 cm long and 5 cm broad, and are deciduous in the dry season (November to February). The flowers are produced at the end of the dry season just before the new leaves; they are small and whitish, growing in loose spikes 10–12 cm
Sonneratia caseolaris (Apple Mangrove) (L.) Engl. 1897
medicinal plant species in the lythraceae family
Sonneratia caseolaris, commonly known as mangrove apple, or pagatpat is a species of plant in the family Lythraceae. The fruit is noted for its outward similarity to the persimmon fruit. This tree is a type of mangrove growing up to 20 m in height and with a trunk reaching a maximum diameter of 50 cm. It is present in tropical tidal mud flats from Africa to Indonesia, southwards down to northeast Australia and New Caledonia and northwards up to Hainan Island in China and the Philippines. It has pneumatophores or "knees" up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height and conical in form The fruit of this
Schinopsis balansae (Red Quebracho) Engl. 1885
plant species in the anacardiaceae family
Schinopsis balansae is a hardwood tree known as willow-leaf red quebracho which forms forests in the subtropical Humid Chaco ecoregion of north-eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. It is also found in the wild Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. Some of its vernacular names are quebracho colorado chaqueño and quebracho santafesino. Other species, like Schinopsis lorentzii, bear the general name quebracho and have similar properties and uses. S. balansae shares its habitat with a species of the same genus, S. heterophylla, and the two are often confused. This tree can reach 24 metres in height and more
Hosta sieboldiana (Siebold's Plantain Lily) (Hook.) Engl. 1887
perennial plant species in the asparagaceae family
Hosta sieboldiana, Siebold's plantain lily, is a species of hosta native to Japan. A putative variety, Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans (called the giant blue hosta), has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, as has a putative variety of its synonym; Hosta fortunei var. aureomarginata, the gold-edged plantain lily. The cultivars 'Blue Angel', 'Blue Mammoth', and 'Olive Bailey Langdon' have also gained the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Warburgia Engl. 1895
plant genus in the canellaceae family
Warburgia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Canellaceae described in 1895. It was named for the German botanist Otto Warburg. It is native to eastern and southern Africa. All four species have medicinal uses. Extracts of Warburgia ugandensis have been reported to show some antimalarial properties in animal models. Species Warburgia elongata Verdc. - Tanzania Warburgia salutaris (Bertol.f.) Chiov. - Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal Warburgia stuhlmannii Engl. - Tanzania, Kenya Warburgia ugandensis Sprague - Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zaire, Ethiopia to Malawi
Schinopsis lorentzii (Griseb.) Engl. 1880
plant species in the anacardiaceae family
Schinopsis lorentzii is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is a hardwood tree known as red quebracho, native of the Paraguayan subtropical area, which forms forests in Gran Chaco region of Argentina, in Paraguay, and Bolivia. Some of its common names are coronillo, quebracho Cornillo (Brazil), quebracho chaqueño, quebracho colorado santiagueño, quebracho macho, and quebracho bolí. The qualification colorado ("red") differentiates it from other species of common quebracho tree, the Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco (quebracho blanco, "white quebracho", family
Quiinaceae Choisy ex Engl. 1888
plant family in the order theales
Quiinaceae Engl. is a neotropical family of flowering plants in the Malpighiales, consisting of about 50 species in 4 genera (Froesia, Lacunaria, Quiina, Touroulia). The APG III system of flowering plant classification does not recognize such a family, instead including these genera in the Ochnaceae family.
Dioscorea elephantipes (Elephant's Foot) (L'Hér.) Engl. 1908
plant species in the dioscoreaceae family
Dioscorea elephantipes, the elephant's foot yam or Hottentot bread, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceae, native to the dry interior of South Africa.
Cercidiphyllaceae (Katsura Family) Engl. 1907
plant family in the order saxifragales
Cercidiphyllum is a genus containing two species of plants, both commonly called katsura. They are the sole members of the monotypic family Cercidiphyllaceae. The genus is native to Japan and China and unrelated to Cercis (redbuds).
Brunelliaceae (Brunellia Family) Engl. 1897
plant family in the order oxalidales
Brunellia is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Brunelliaceae, and contains 60 species as of December 2025. Plants in this genus grow as trees and are distributed in the mountainous regions of southern Mexico, Central America, West Indies, and South America.
Uvariopsis Engl. 1899
plant genus in the annonaceae family
Uvariopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. The genus is unique to Africa, and consists of about 18 species, all of which are either ramiflorous, cauliflorous or both. The type species for the genus is Uvariopsis zenkeri Engl.
Koeberliniaceae (Koeberlinia Family) Engl. 1895
plant family in the order brassicales
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Balfourodendron riedelianum (Marfim) (Engl.) Engl. 1896
endangered plant species in the rutaceae family
Balfourodendron riedelianum, known as marfim in Portuguese, is a species of flowering tree in the rue family, Rutaceae. It is native to Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Aloe hereroensis (Sand Aloe) Engl. 1888
perennial plant species in the asphodelaceae family
Aloe hereroensis is an African Aloe native to Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Like other Aloe species, it forms a rosette of succulent, lanceolate, greyish-green leaves with teeth along their edges. These leaves can grow up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) long. A. hereroensis forms large inflorescences, up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high, with clusters of scarlet flowers.
Protea welwitschii (Cluster-head Sugarbush) Engl. 1892
plant species in the proteaceae family
Protea welwitschii is a species of shrub or small tree which belongs to the genus Protea, and which occurs in bushveld and different types of grassland. Vernacular names given for this species include cluster-head protea, honey-scented protea and rusty velvet protea in southern tropical Africa, and in South Africa the dwarf savanna sugarbush, cluster-head sugarbush or the white sugar-bush. In isiZulu it is known as isiqalaba. In Afrikaans the common names of troshofiesuikerbos, kleinsuikerbos, troshofie-suikerbos, welwitsch-se-suikerbos, witsuikerbos, witsuikerboskan, and simply suikerbos,
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