Carl August Wilhelm Schwacke

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Carl August Wilhelm Schwacke (1848–1904) was a German botanist, explorer and naturalist. He was born in Alfeld near Hanover and studied natural sciences at Göttingen and Bonn, focusing on botany after graduation. He moved to Brazil in 1873 and in 1874 joined Rio de Janeiro’s National Museum as a traveling naturalist. From 1877 he traveled across the country, collecting many plants. In 1891 he left the museum and became a professor of botany at the School of Pharmacy in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, where he also served as dean. He encouraged students to go on botanical excursions, and in 1892 he founded a herbarium, which today contains more than 30,000 specimens. In 1986 his collection became part of the central herbarium at the Federal University of Ouro Preto. Schwacke’s work was mainly in plant taxonomy, and he named Amburana, among other plants. He died in Barbacena, Minas Gerais, Brazil.