Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria
Australian National Herbarium
Biographical Notes
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Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria |
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Hellmut was born in Windhoek, South West Africa (now Namibia) in 1939 and lived on a farm in the bush.
He headed off to boarding school in Windhoek, 402 km from home, at the age of 8.
His interest in plants began with gardening on the farm, as well as cultivating flowers and succulents at school, and solidified with a Bachelor of Science from Stellenbosch University (1961), followed by an Honours Degree (1962), Masters (1965), PhD (1974) and even a lecturing position in botany at the University of Cape Town.
Apart from three years lecturing, he was employed by the Botanical
Research Institute, Pretoria.
He was the
author of many scientific publications
on members of the families Capparaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Portulacaceae, and especially Crassulaceae.
Before leaving South Africa he was the author of the book A Revision of the Genus Crassula in Southern Africa.
In
1979 he joined the staff of the State
Herbarium, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, South Australia.
After 29 years Hellmut retired from the State Herbarium in December 2008 as a senior botanist and continued as an Honorary Research Associate.
He has contributed roughly 6000 collections to African herbaria, and over 3600 to Australian herbaria (of which around 1400 were databased by 2024).
His research interests since arriving in Australia include the taxonomy, systematics and biology of Kunzea (Myrtaceae), eastern Australian species of Hibbertia (Dilleniaceae), Crassulaceae specifically Crassula, Carpobrotus and Sarconzona (Aizoaceae).
He named 412 taxa, authored over 72 publications (14 in retirement), revised two large genera, Crassula and Hibbertia, as well as the Australian species of Kunzea. Hellmut even had one genus names after him, Toelkenia P.V.Heath (now a synonym of Crassula), as well as one species and one hybrid: Kunzea toelkenii de Lange and Kalanchoe xtoelkenii Gideon F.Sm.
Source: Extracted from: back dust-jacket of 'Flowering Plants in Australia' by Morley & Toelken, 1983
https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/Knowledge_Bank/Science_and_research/State_Herbarium/Our_people/Dr_Hellmut_Toelken
https://www.tropicos.org/person/60163
https://know.ourplants.org/news/congratulations-hellmut-toelken/
Portrait photos: https://know.ourplants.org/news/congratulations-hellmut-toelken/
Data from 1,447 specimens
