Georg Eberhard Rumpf
Georg Eberhard Rumpf (born 1627, Hanau, Hesse-Nassau [now in Germany]βdied June 13, 1702, Amboina, Dutch East Indies) was a naturalist and author of Herbarium Amboinense (1741β55), an extensive study of the flora of the East Indies.
Rumpf was sent to Amboina by the Dutch East India Company in 1653 to study plant life. The six-volume illustrated work that he produced represented a more complete survey of that remote part of the world than existed for many better known regions.
By naming more than 1,700 plants of the East Indies, Rumpf became known as the Pliny of the Indies, a reference to the Roman naturalist of the 1st century ad.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Georg Eberhard Rumpf
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
01 January 2026
Access Date:
November 14, 2026