Flora Helvetica – Flore illustrée de Suisse: 6th Edition

Author Biography

• Konrad Lauber Konrad Lauber, born in Thun-Dürrenast in 1927, died on October 23, 2004 in Bern. Grew up in a rural environment, “hereditarily burdened” with a strong interest in natural sciences. At the age of ten, the first identification exercises on native plants. Graduated from the Realgymnasium Bern-Kirchenfeld in 1946. It is not advisable to study biology because the only possible career is as a teacher, otherwise there is no job. Studied chemistry at ETH Zurich, graduated in 1950. Worked in textile chemistry for two and a half years, then switched to biochemistry. 1952-1955 Research work in protein chemistry at Lund University in Sweden. 1956-1959 dissertation in biochemistry at the University of Bern. From 1959 until his retirement in 1992, he headed a clinical chemistry laboratory, first at the university, then at the Inselspital in Bern, with teaching positions at the medical faculty and various laboratory schools. Married in 1957, four daughters and sons, now grown up. The intensive study of flora at home and abroad, since 1951 especially with a camera equipped with color film, provided a welcome balance to the not always satisfactory professional activity. Comforting insight: Botany, pursued as a livelihood, cannot possibly provide the same pleasure as as a hobby. In 45 years, around 50,000 photos of native plants and almost as many of foreign plants have been accumulated.
• Gerhart Wagner Gerhart Wagner, born in 1920 in Bolligen near Bern. Grew up in a rural area, “hereditarily burdened” as a teacher. First hobby ornithology. Graduated from the Literargymnasium Bern-Kirchenfeld in 1939. Studied zoology, botany and physics in Bern and Geneva. Secondary teacher diploma in 1943, diploma for higher teaching in 1946, doctorate in zoology (developmental physiology in amphibians) in 1949. 1949-1950 secondary teacher in Grindelwald. 1950-1958 teacher of biology and geology at the Bern-Kirchenfeld municipal high school. 1958-1964 Head of the newly founded Section for Radiation Protection at the Federal Office of Public Health, drafting the Swiss Radiation Protection Ordinance. 1964-1969 Assistant Professor at the Zoological Institute of the University of Zurich. 1969-1983 Rector of the Bern-Neufeld secondary school. Actively retired since then. Two daughters, two sons, nine grandchildren. A common thread running through the entire curriculum was the study of flowers and ferns. The creation of a herbarium began in 1942 for the purpose of getting to know the species. In 1996 it had around 10,000 leaves and was still growing.
• Andreas Gygax Andreas Gygax studied biology with a focus on botany at the universities of Bern and Neuchâtel. Since then he has been working on the mapping of Swiss flora and has been involved in updating important botanical works ("Flora of the Canton of Bern" and "Flora Helvetica").