Johannes Elias Teijsmann

Johannes Elias Teijsmann (June 1, 1808—June 22, 1882) was a botanist and plant collector. He was born in Arnhem, Netherlands.

Teijsmann travelled to Java in 1830 as Gardener ("hortulanus") of Governor General van den Bosch. He was appointed the Curator of the Buitenzorg Botanic Gardens the following year, a post he held until 1869. He took part in numerous important botanical expeditions especially to the Sunda Islands, but also throughout the Malay Archipelago; Teijsmann also was part of a Dutch fact-finding mission to Siam (presently Thailand). Among many other things, he is famous - or ought to be - for stimulating the introduction of the cassava (from the island of Bantam, near Sumatra) as a food source to alleviate prevalent famines in the then Dutch Indies, and also for his efforts (together with his collaborator Hasskarl) with regard to the cultivation of the cinchona tree (from Peru) for the production of quinine to treat malaria (ca. 1852/1854). For his bitter controversy with J.E. de Vrij and Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn about the relative merits of the various species of "Cinchona" ("C. calisaya" versus "C. pahudiana") see the successive issues (from 1862) of "Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië". His personal interest in palm trees led him to introduce to Indonesia the oil palm (from West Africa) which is until the present highly important to much economy in the isles.

Teijsmann died in 1882 in Buitenzorg (now Bogor), Java; in recognition of his great service to "'s Lands Plantentuin", a small monument was erected for him by his friends soon after his death in what is now called the Medan Teijsmann in the Garden (Kebun Raya Bogor).

The genus "Teysmannia" is named in his honour, together with several plant species. He was also commemorated in the periodical "Teysmannia", which was published between 1890 and 1922. In 1925, it was incorporated into "De Indische Culturen-Teysmannia".

His surname is sometimes spelled "Teysmann", although he himself always spelled it "Teijsmann"; his correspondence was voluminous and much of it is still extant and awaits an edtior.

References

* [http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/FMCollectors/T/TeijsmannJE.htm Nationaal Herbarium Nederland: Johannes Elias Teijsmann]