(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

Born: 1857, Marggrabowa = Treuhand, E. Prussia, Germany. Died: 1929, Breslau, Germany.

career:

Zoologist who made extensive travels; later Director of the zoological Garden at Breslau and finally Inspector of the Zoological Institute at Brunswick.

Some plants were named after him.

Collecting localities:

1881-84. SE. Borneo.¹ Arrival at Bandjermasin (Jan. 29, 1881); since June 1881 in the basin of the Kapuas River (4½ months) and in Dusson Timor Distr. (4 months); from Bandjermasin (March 10, 1882) to Martapura, making excursions in the vicinity (till March 17); by boat to kp. Sungei Raja (18); Pengaron and environs (March 19-Apr. 3); from Pengaron to Mengkauk and G. Batu Hapu (cave); proceeding to Mengkauk River, crossing the Bobaris Mts near G. Pakan, to Tambarangan and Benoa Padang; caves of G. Lampinit (8); G. Talikor, situated E of G. Lampinit, and back to Rantau; making base bivouac at Kendangan (Apr. 21 or 30); by boat to cave in G. Batu Laki on the Amandit River (30); departing (May 17) via Danau Bangkau to Barabei (18); June 13 to Lok, Rangas, kp. Labuan, etc., at the westfoot of the Meratoes Mts; after a long stay in these regions, visiting many caves, e.g. in G. Mandella (Oct. 7, 1883), leaving the island (July 4, 1884).-NE. New Guinea (former Kaiser- Wilhelmsland).² As a member of the 1st expedition after the foundation of the German New Guinea Comp., under command of R. Mentzel (see there) in 1885; after the establishment of Finschhafen (Nov. 1885), he proceeded to look for other suitable localities which resulted in the establishment of Samoa Hafen, soon renamed Hatzfeldhafen. His first march into the interior was to the mountain village Tambèro (setting out Febr. 20, 1886). In the 2nd half of 1886 he went to Soerabaja for recruiting coolies; visiting caves near Grissee. In 1887 he quitted the service of the New Guinea Comp.

collections:

Herb. Berl. [B]: 140 species (241 specim.) of siphonogams from Borneo (pres. 1883); in Herb. Brit. Mus. [BM]: 407 or 421 (the statements don’t agree) Borneo plants (purch. 1884). The collection preserved in the British Museum is stated to originate from Henri Emanuel Grabowski; as the latter died at Breslau in 1842 (cf. Pritzel, Thes. Lit. Bot., 1872) and to our knowledge never visited Borneo, we may assume that the statement is based on a confusion of name. Part of his botanical collections was lost by shipwreck.

I do not know whether he also collected New Guinea plants, he sent at least a Musa species to Hort. Bog. (pres. 1886).

literature:

(1) F. Grabowsky: ‘Der Disstrikt Dusson Timor in SO. Borneo’ (Ausland 1884, p. 444-449, 469-475); ‘Ueber seine Reisen in Süd-ost Borneo’ (Verb. Ges. Erdk. Berl. 1884, p. 419-422); ‘Kalksteinhöhlen in Südost-Borneo’ (Globus 54, 1888, p. 326-329); ‘Ueber Aeusserungen geistigen Lebens bei den Osengadju in Süd-ost Borneo’ (1889); ‘Streifzüge durch die malayischen Distrikte SO. Borneo’s’ (Globus 1890, p. 11-13, 219-221); ‘Der Reisbau bei den Dajaken Südost-Borneo’s’ (Globus 1908, p. 101-105); and many other papers, mainly published in ‘Ausland’.

cf. also Posewitz, Borneo, 1889, p. 380-381 (note).

(2) cf. Nachr. Kais. Wilh. Land 1885, p. 6; l.c. 1886, p. 62, 77, 82 and 113; l.c. 1887, p. 163.

F. Grabowsky: ‘Erinnerungen an Neu-Guinea’ (Ausland 62, 1889, p. 121-123); ‘Der Bezirk Hatzfeldhafen and seine Bewohner’ (Peterm. Mitt. 41, 1896, p. 186-189, pl. 13).

biographical data:

Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936.

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