Christian Leuckert

Christian Leuckert was a lichen taxonomist who applied the diversity of secondary metabolites within lichens as useful taxonomic criteria. He was Director of the Institute of Plant Systematics and Plant Geography at the Free University of Berlin from the 1970s until 1995.

Early life and education Christian Leuckert's parents were Alfred and Louise (née Friedrich) Leuckert. His father worked as an expert plumber. After elementary school in Radeberg, he began attending a Rudolph Steiner school in Dresden, until it was officially closed in 1941. He completed his secondary education in Radeberg. After the Second World War he found himself in the German Democratic Republic. He was able to complete his education from 1946 - 1948 at the re-opened Steiner school. He then trained as a teacher at Technical University of Dresden and Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg.

In 1954 he was allowed to re-start his education, studying biology at University of Leipzig. However, in 1955 he moved to West German and enrolled for biology and chemistry at the Free University of Berlin. In 1961 he started his doctoral research on chemotaxonomy within the Asteraceae under the supervision of Rudolf Hänsel, Director of the Institute for Pharmacognosy at the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum. The PhD degree was awarded in 1965. In 1996 he was awarded the Acharius Medal by the International Association for Lichenology in recognition of his lifetime's work. In 2000 he was made an honorary member of the Italian Society of Lichenology.

Several lichen have been named after him, including Lecanora leuckertiana Zedda (2000) (= Lepraria leuckertiana (Zedda) L.Saag (2009)); Lecidella leuckertiana Knoph & Mies (1995); Mycomicrothelia leuckertii D. Hawksw. & J.C.David (1995); Opegrapha leuckertii S. Y. Kondr. & DJ Galloway (1995) (= Plectocarpon leuckertii (S.Y.Kondr. & D.J.Galloway) Ertz & Diederich (2005)) and Sclerococcum leuckertii Diederich & P.Scholz (1995).

Personal life He met Eva Schwabhäuser when they were both teachers at an elementary school near Meissen. In 1955 they left for Berlin in West Germany, pretending they were going for a short holiday. They married on 1 June 1955. She trained as a junior school teacher. They had two children together. He died 27 January 2011.