2. Kurze Geschichte der Characeenkunde in Deutschland

This chapter is a short history of the knowledge about the charophytes in Germany. The first secure mention of a Characeae is in the “Pinax theatri botanici” by Caspar Bauhin (1623). Linnés “Species plantarum” (1753) contains only four species. Until around 1800 most of the presently accepted species were described. But first the work of Alexander Braun brings more clarity into the many difficult forms. In the second half of the 19th century a lot of botanists were familiar with the charophytes and overviews of some regions were published. After this period until about 1960 almost no interest was given to this plants. In the 1960is a new perception started, mostly from a phytosociological point of view. A more intensive floristic, systematic and genetic work begins in the 1980is. In 1984 there was published the first Red data book for this algae. Now the charophytes have a significant meaning in the Habitats- and Water Framework Directive of the European Union.