1772-1850

German physician and botanist Karl Gaertner was instrumental in unraveling the mystery surrounding plant reproduction. He established that plants are sexually reproducing organisms through his experimentation and careful observation of the physiologic changes that take place in flower parts during fertilization. His research on hybrids, offspring that result from a cross between members of two different species or subspecies, provided the groundwork for Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), founder of the laws of inheritance.