Wilhelm Schimper

Georg Heinrich Wilhelm Schimper (19 August 1804 – October 1878) was a German botanist born in Reichenschwand. He was a brother to naturalist Karl Friedrich Schimper. Wilhelm Schimper studied natural history in Munich, and for a short period of time worked with the geologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) as a draftsman and illustrator.

From 1831 to 1835 he travelled throughout North Africa and the Middle East on botanical expeditions. In 1834, he published the book "Reise nach Algier 1831-1834" (Journey to Algiers}. Schimper is mainly known for his botanical work in Abyssinia, where he first travelled to in 1837. He would spent most of the remainder of his life in Abyssinia, primarily in the regions of Tigray and Simien. Along with his botanical research in Africa, Schimper is known for his correspondence with famous botanists in Europe. In these letters, he details the political, economic and social conditions in Abyssinia, which were largely unknown to Europeans at the time. Also for a period of time, Schimper was appointed governor of a small province called "Enticco" under the rule of Dejazmach Wube Haile Maryam. Schimper died in Adwa in October, 1878.

The species name "schimperiana" is attached to several of the plants he described and classified in Northeastern Africa. A few examples are "Habenaria schimperiana", "Pyrrosia schimperiana" and "Festuca schimperiana".