Wilhelm Hofmeister

Hofmeister worked in music publishing and sales while studying botany and making microscopic observations independently. Writings by Matthias Schleiden and Hugo von Mohl helped guide his investigations. He became a professor at Heidelberg in 1863 and moved to Tübingen in 1872.

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Studies published in 1847 and 1849 followed fertilization and early development in flowering plants. By comparing changes in the embryo sac, pollen tube and young embryo, Hofmeister could test competing interpretations of whether the embryo originated directly from the pollen tube.

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His 1851 comparative investigations connected developmental patterns in mosses, ferns and other spore-bearing plants with conifers. Despite striking adult differences, the life histories displayed corresponding alternating generations. Developmental sequences, not adult appearance alone, became evidence for comparing plant groups.

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