1823-1894

German botanist who investigated reproduction in plants. Pringsheim was among the first to observe sexual reproduction in algae. He showed that these tiny organisms release sperm and egg cells into the water, where they combine. He also described the alternation of generations, or reproduction by spores, in mosses. Pringsheim was independently wealthy and conducted private research, as well as established the German Botanical Society and the journal Jahrbucher fur wissenschaftliche Botanik.