Hertha Bokelmann
Spanish-born South African botanical illustrator
About Hertha Bokelmann
Lived 1915 – 2005 (aged 89). Hertha Bokelmann was a Spanish botanical illustrator, botanist, botanical collector and scientific illustrator.
Hertha Ludovica Bokelmann (née Faekle) (22 August 1915 Barcelona - 10 February 2005) was a Spanish-born South African botanist and botanical illustrator.
She was trained in horticulture and botany at the Technical High School in Ulm, Germany. Arriving in South Africa in June 1937, she worked for a year at the Botanical Garden of Stellenbosch University. She collected plant specimens which were passed on to the British Museum, while some 600 specimens, mainly from the Eastern Cape and Tsitsikama, are housed at the Compton Herbarium of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
Bokelmann is best known for sharing the illustrating with her cousin by marriage, Auriol Batten, of 'Wild Flowers of the Eastern Cape Province' (1966) and 'Flowering Plants of the Tsitsikama Forest and Coastal National Park' (1967). Work on the latter book resulted in a close friendship with co-author Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, who had retired to a farm in the Tsitsikama and had become interested in botany.
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Important facts
People in Hertha Bokelmann's life
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Hertha Bokelmann?
Spanish-born South African botanical illustrator (1915-2005)
When was Hertha Bokelmann born?
Hertha Bokelmann was born on 22 August 1915 in Barcelona.
When did Hertha Bokelmann die?
Hertha Bokelmann died on 10 February 2005.
What was Hertha Bokelmann's occupation?
Hertha Bokelmann was a botanical illustrator, botanist, botanical collector and scientific illustrator.
What nationality was Hertha Bokelmann?
Hertha Bokelmann was Spanish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Hertha Bokelmann. https://biography.guide/hertha-bokelmann/
MLA: "Hertha Bokelmann." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/hertha-bokelmann/.
Chicago: "Hertha Bokelmann." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/hertha-bokelmann/.
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