Engelbert Kaempfer

German botanist (1651–1716).

Engelbert Kaempfer (16 September 1651 – 2 November 1716) was a German naturalist, physician, explorer, and writer known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, Siam and Japan between 1683 and 1693. He wrote two books about his travels. Amoenitatum exoticarum, published in 1712, is important for its medical observations and the first extensive description of Japanese plants (Flora Japonica). His History of Japan, published posthumously in 1727, was the chief source of Western knowledge about the country throughout the 18th and mid-19th centuries, when it was closed to foreigners.