Johann Horkel

Johann Horkel (8 September 1769 in Burg auf Fehmarn – 15 November 1846 in Berlin) was a German medical doctor and botanist.

Professional career From 1787 he studied medicine at the University of Halle, where in 1802 he was named an associate professor. From 1804 to 1810 he served as a full professor of medicine at Halle, afterwards relocating to Berlin, where he spent the rest of his career as a professor of plant physiology. In 1800/01 he was editor of the journal Archiv für die thierische Chemie, and for a period of time, was an editor of the Deutsches Archiv für die Physiologie.

Legacy He was an uncle and a significant influence on the career of botanist Matthias Jakob Schleiden. The botanical genera Horkelia (Cham. & Schltdl.) and Horkeliella (Rydb.) commemorate his name, as does the fish species Rhinobatos horkelii (Brazilian guitarfish).