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Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) is the most important British botanist of the nineteenth century. He wrote several scientific papers and monographs often describing his journeys to different countries. In 1847, Hooker undertook a 3-year-long expedition to the Himalayas, where he became the first European to collect plants in the area. Also, he travelled to the South Pole and Palestine (1860), Morocco (1871), and the United States (1877). Through these expeditions, he quickly built up an impressive reputation at home. In 1855, Hooker was appointed assistant director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and in 1865 he became director, holding the post for twenty years.

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Esther von Krosigk, geb. 1964 in Hamburg, studierte in München Japanologie, Neuere Geschichte und Kunstgeschichte. Nach ihrem Abschluss ging sie im Rahmen eines journalistischen Austauschprogramms der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung nach Tokio, und arbeitete dann in den Redaktionen der Abendzeitung, des Bayerischen Rundfunks und der Bild-Zeitung. Bis 2002 war sie Redakteurin im Ressort Wirtschaft und Politik bei Bunte. Heute lebt Esther von Krosigk mit ihrer Familie in Berlin, arbeitet als freie Journalistin und schreibt Romane.

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Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817 1911) is the most important British botanist of the nineteenth century. He wrote several scientific papers and monographs often describing his journeys to different countries. In 1847, Hooker undertook a 3-year-long expedition to the Himalayas, where he became the first European to collect plants in the area. Also, he travelled to the South Pole and Palestine (1860), Morocco (1871), and the United States (1877). Through these expeditions, he quickly built up an impressive reputation at home. In 1855, Hooker was appointed assistant director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and in 1865 he became director, holding the post for twenty years.

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