Nägeli, Karl Wilhelm von
Nägeli or Naegeli, Karl Wilhelm von
(both: kärl vĭl`hĕlm fən nā`gəlē), 1817–91, Swiss botanist. He was professor at the Univ. of Munich from 1858 and was noted especially for his work on plant cytology and development. He made studies of the process of division in pollen grains and in unicellular algae, and he determined the function of many plant parts, such as the antheridia and spermatozoids of ferns. In his studies of cells he made a distinction between the nuclear material and a mucous layer of living matter (protoplasm).Nägeli, Karl Wilhelm Von
Born Mar. 27, 1817, in Kilchberg, near Zürich; died May 10, 1891, in Munich. German botanist. Nägeli was a privatdocent in Zü rich from 1842 to 1848. He was a professor at the universities of Freiburg (1848–55), Zü rich (1855–58), and Munich (1858–91). His principal works were on the cytology, anatomy, physiology, and taxonomy of plants. Nägeli observed the division of the cell nucleus and introduced the concepts of stable and formative tissues. He studied the development and growth of tissues and the structure and development of conducting bundles. He also discovered spermatozoids in ferns. Nägeli was one of the first to use mathematics in botany. He proposed a speculative theory of heredity and evolution.