Maria Hemplówna

Maria Hempel (born Maria Hemplówna; 6 May 1834 – 3 February 1904) was a Polish ethnobotanist, known for her study of plants in what is now the Lublin Voivodeship.

Biography Hempel was born in Brzeziny, the daughter of Aleksander Klemens and Maria Klemens . In 1857, she became engaged to her cousin, Kazimierz Łapczyński, an engineer who was also involved in the study of botany. That same year, Hempel's mother died, necessitating Hempel to begin caring for her younger siblings.

Until 1875, Hempel lived in an estate in Tarnów. After the home was sold, she stayed with various relatives and friends, helping them to run their households, including in Słupia Nadbrzeżna, Skorczyce, Nadrybie, Samoklęski and Węglin.

Career

Botany Hempel documented and collected plant species native to the eastern Lublin region and the left bank of the Vistula.

Ethnobotany Hempel supported Oskar Kolberg to collect ethnographic materials of the Chełm region for his monograph of the region. She also supported Józef Rostafiński's 1883 survey on the folk names and use of plants in Polish communities.