Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn, a German naturalist, born at Mansfeld, Oct. 26, 1812, died at Lembang, Java, April 24, 1864. He studied medicine, botany, and geology in Halle and Berlin, and became assistant surgeon in the Prussian army. Having fought a duel, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, but escaped to France. He then received a pardon, and went in 1835 to the Dutch East Indies, was employed in Batavia for a year as military physician, and afterward explored the islands, especially Java and Sumatra, under the auspices of the government. In 1849-'55 he was in Holland, preparing his observations for publication, and then returned to Java. His Topographische und Naturwissenschaft-liche Reisen were edited by Nees von Esenbeck (Magdeburg, 1845). German and Dutch editions of his Battalander in Sumatra appeared in Berlin and Leyden in 1847; and a German version by Hasskarl of his Zuruckreise von Java nach Eyropa in 1851. His most important work, considered by many the best on the subject, treats of the botany, geography, and geology of Java (Java, seine Gestalt, Pflanzen-decke und innere Bauart, German ed. by Hasskarl, 3 vols., Leipsic, 1852-'4). In 1853 appeared his Landschaftsansichten von Java nach der Natur auf genommen.

In 1851 was begun, under the supervision of several distinguished naturalists, a large work entitled Plantae Jung-huhniance, giving a description of the plants and fossils discovered by him in Java and Sumatra.