Henrik Bernard Oldenland

Henrik Bernard Oldenland aka Heinrich Bernhard Oldenland (c.1663–c.1697) was a German-born South African physician, botanist, painter and land surveyor, and is denoted by the author abbreviation Oldenl. when citing a botanical name.

Henrik was born in Lübeck, a son of Hans Oldenland and Anna Margaretha Nagel. He enrolled at Leiden University in May 1686, and studied medicine and botany for three years, coming under the influence of Paul Hermann who inspired an interest in botany. He arrived in the Cape Colony in 1688 in the service of the Dutch East India Company, and joined Isaq Schrijver's expedition from 4 January to 10 April 1689. Their route was from Cape Town through the present day towns of Caledon, Swellendam, Riversdale, over Attaquasberg eastwards to the vicinity of Uniondale, on to Willowmore, and finally to about 30 km north-west of Aberdeen. This was the first Cape expedition to penetrate so far into the interior, revealing large numbers of new and interesting plants. Some of these, like Aloe humilis, found their way back to the Company Garden in Cape Town.

In 1690 the Heeren XVII recommended that Simon van der Stel employ Oldenland to collect and grow medicinal herbs as he was a very good botanist who had studied medicine with great success. In the same letter they suggested that Jan Hartog be appointed in a similar capacity. As a result, Oldenland was given the positions of master-gardener and land-surveyor for the Government in 1693, and Hartog was to be his assistant. Since he now had an assured income, Oldenland could marry Margaretha Hendrina van Otteren, widow of the former garrison bookkeeper, Johann Heinrich Blum.

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