Simen Oscar Fredrik Omang

Simen Oscar Fredrik Omang (23 March 1867 – November 1953) was a Norwegian botanist and educator whose work focused on the taxonomy of the hawkweed genus Hieracium, one of the most taxonomically complex plant groups in Scandinavian flora. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Omang documented, classified, and named about 2,250 different plant taxa within this genus, establishing himself as a leading authority on Nordic hawkweeds. He combined his botanical research with a teaching career until 1927, after which he devoted himself exclusively to botanical studies until his death.

Biography

Omang was born in Hamar on 23 March 1867 and completed his secondary education in Oslo in 1886. He studied at the University of Oslo, where he obtained a mathematical‑scientific teaching qualification in 1895. From 1896 to 1902, he taught at Svend Foyn's School in Oslo. He then served as an adjunct at Larvik Municipal Higher General School (1902–1911) and at Skien Public Higher General School (1911–1919), also managing Skien Technical Evening School from 1914 to 1919. His final teaching position was as a lecturer at Frogner Higher Municipal General School in Oslo (1919–1927).