KunstlerHH

Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

Kunstler, Hermann H.

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

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

Born: 1837, Haldensleben, S of Magdeburg, Germany.
Died: Feb. 4, 1887, o/b s.s. ‘Sisra’ sailing from Malacca to Australia; buried in Penang.

career:

A German explorer from Australia, who was visiting the Malay Peninsula and was engaged through the influence of Sir Hugh Low, to collect for the Calcutta Royal Botanic Gardens, chiefly in Perak. The exact date of his appointment is not known.

Several plants are named after him.

Collecting localities:

1880. Malay Peninsula.¹ Singapore (June-Aug.), collecting on G. Panti in Johore (June); G. Bintang and Bt Bingarang (Rhio = Riouw) (July); 1st expedition to Gopeng District in Perak (Aug.-Dec.), making trips to Sg. Raya (Oct.), Kota Bahru (Nov.) and the Kinta River (Dec.).-1881-83. Singapore (Jan. 1881); Penang (Febr.-Apr.); Prov. of Wellesley (Apr.); Penang and Kedah (May); Perak, Larut Distr., Taiping (June 1881-June 1882), visiting most of the peaks of the Larut Hills, Gopeng (Sept. and Nov.), about May 1882 collecting at ‘Sunki Perak’ (which according to Narayanaswami¹ probably ought to be taken as ‘Sg. Larut’; elsewhere the locality Sungkei River is mentioned); Ulu Selama (July 1882); return to Taiping, Larut (Aug. 1882-Apr. 1883; ascending G. Bubu in March 1883); Penang and Larut (May 1883); 2nd expedition to Gopeng (Kinta) Distr. (June-Aug.); Penang (Aug.-Sept.), also visiting the adjacent islands; Larut, top of G. Hijou (Oct.); Penang (Nov.); return to Taiping (Dec.).-1884. 3rd expedition to Gopeng, Chanderiang and other places in Central Perak between March and May; Larut, Taiping (June-Dec.).-1885-86. G. Bujong Malaka (sometimes written as G.M. and mistaken for G. Mesah, according to Narayanaswami) (Jan. 1885); Larut (Febr.); G. Bubu (March); Larut (Apr.); 4th expedition to Gopeng and Batang Padang Districts (May-Sept.), climbing G. Bubu (May), G. Pondok (May-June), crossing Batang Padang Distr. (July), lower slopes of G. Batu Patch (Aug.); Gopeng and Kinta Distr. (Sept.-Oct.); Taiping (Nov. 1885-Febr. 1886); 5th expedition, to Selangor and beyond (March-Sept. 1886), visiting Ulu Selangor (March), Ulu Kerling (March-May), Ulu Bubong (June-Aug.), Ulu Kal, Slim, Selangor, Bubong (Aug.), Ulu Bubong (Sept.), P.P. (according to Narayanaswami = Pahang Path or Semangko Pass) (Sept.) and Ulu Kal (Sept.).

collections:

Herb. Calcutta [CAL]: c. 11000 nos; the first collection was received at Calcutta in April 1881. Duplicates in Herb. Sing. [SING], Herb. Edinburgh [E], Herb. Berl. [B] (sub King’s collector), and Herb. Leiden [L].

Many of his plants are labelled ‘King’s collector’; he himself employed collectors, e.g. Harison, a Kling, afterwards employed by L. Wray.

Some of his Kinta collections were mislabelled at Calcutta ‘Larut’ (printed), though they were carefully annotated with descriptive notes and localities; some of his 1886 collections were collected in the State of Selangor, but mislabelled ‘Perak’. He numbered after partial study. He used abbreviations of place-names, such as G.M. for G. Bujong Malaka, K.D. for Kinta District, B.P.D. for Batang Padang District, C.P. for Central Perak, U.K. for Ulu Kerling, N.U.B. for near Ulu Bujong, and P.P. for Pahang Path.¹

He also made excellent entomological collections, e.g. for G. Honrath (Berlin); now in the Brit. Mus.

literature:

(1) Most data derived from Burkill in Gard. Bull. Str. Settlem. 4, 1927, nos 4-5 and from V. Narayanaswami: ‘Provenance of early Malayan plant collections’ (Journ. & Proc. As. Soc. Bengal N.S. 27, 1931, p. 328-339; diary on p. 333).

biographical data:

Berl. Entom. Zeitschr. 31, 1887, p. 353-355; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936.

	Career Collecting localities Collections Literature Biographical data
	Kunstler, Hermann H.
	(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors) (Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)
	Born: 1837, Haldensleben, S of Magdeburg, Germany. Died: Feb. 4, 1887, o/b s.s. ‘Sisra’ sailing from Malacca to Australia; buried in Penang.
	career: A German explorer from Australia, who was visiting the Malay Peninsula and was engaged through the influence of Sir Hugh Low, to collect for the Calcutta Royal Botanic Gardens, chiefly in Perak. The exact date of his appointment is not known. Several plants are named after him.
	Collecting localities: 1880. Malay Peninsula.¹ Singapore (June-Aug.), collecting on G. Panti in Johore (June); G. Bintang and Bt Bingarang (Rhio = Riouw) (July); 1st expedition to Gopeng District in Perak (Aug.-Dec.), making trips to Sg. Raya (Oct.), Kota Bahru (Nov.) and the Kinta River (Dec.).-1881-83. Singapore (Jan. 1881); Penang (Febr.-Apr.); Prov. of Wellesley (Apr.); Penang and Kedah (May); Perak, Larut Distr., Taiping (June 1881-June 1882), visiting most of the peaks of the Larut Hills, Gopeng (Sept. and Nov.), about May 1882 collecting at ‘Sunki Perak’ (which according to Narayanaswami¹ probably ought to be taken as ‘Sg. Larut’; elsewhere the locality Sungkei River is mentioned); Ulu Selama (July 1882); return to Taiping, Larut (Aug. 1882-Apr. 1883; ascending G. Bubu in March 1883); Penang and Larut (May 1883); 2nd expedition to Gopeng (Kinta) Distr. (June-Aug.); Penang (Aug.-Sept.), also visiting the adjacent islands; Larut, top of G. Hijou (Oct.); Penang (Nov.); return to Taiping (Dec.).-1884. 3rd expedition to Gopeng, Chanderiang and other places in Central Perak between March and May; Larut, Taiping (June-Dec.).-1885-86. G. Bujong Malaka (sometimes written as G.M. and mistaken for G. Mesah, according to Narayanaswami) (Jan. 1885); Larut (Febr.); G. Bubu (March); Larut (Apr.); 4th expedition to Gopeng and Batang Padang Districts (May-Sept.), climbing G. Bubu (May), G. Pondok (May-June), crossing Batang Padang Distr. (July), lower slopes of G. Batu Patch (Aug.); Gopeng and Kinta Distr. (Sept.-Oct.); Taiping (Nov. 1885-Febr. 1886); 5th expedition, to Selangor and beyond (March-Sept. 1886), visiting Ulu Selangor (March), Ulu Kerling (March-May), Ulu Bubong (June-Aug.), Ulu Kal, Slim, Selangor, Bubong (Aug.), Ulu Bubong (Sept.), P.P. (according to Narayanaswami = Pahang Path or Semangko Pass) (Sept.) and Ulu Kal (Sept.).
	collections: Herb. Calcutta [CAL]: c. 11000 nos; the first collection was received at Calcutta in April 1881. Duplicates in Herb. Sing. [SING], Herb. Edinburgh [E], Herb. Berl. [B] (sub King’s collector), and Herb. Leiden [L]. Many of his plants are labelled ‘King’s collector’; he himself employed collectors, e.g. Harison, a Kling, afterwards employed by L. Wray. Some of his Kinta collections were mislabelled at Calcutta ‘Larut’ (printed), though they were carefully annotated with descriptive notes and localities; some of his 1886 collections were collected in the State of Selangor, but mislabelled ‘Perak’. He numbered after partial study. He used abbreviations of place-names, such as G.M. for G. Bujong Malaka, K.D. for Kinta District, B.P.D. for Batang Padang District, C.P. for Central Perak, U.K. for Ulu Kerling, N.U.B. for near Ulu Bujong, and P.P. for Pahang Path.¹ He also made excellent entomological collections, e.g. for G. Honrath (Berlin); now in the Brit. Mus.
	literature: (1) Most data derived from Burkill in Gard. Bull. Str. Settlem. 4, 1927, nos 4-5 and from V. Narayanaswami: ‘Provenance of early Malayan plant collections’ (Journ. & Proc. As. Soc. Bengal N.S. 27, 1931, p. 328-339; diary on p. 333).
	biographical data: Berl. Entom. Zeitschr. 31, 1887, p. 353-355; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936.