Dieter Carl Wasshausen (born 15 April 1938 in Jena, Germany)[1] is an American botanist who specialized in spermatophytes.
In 1962 he started working at the Smithsonian Institution as a technician.
He studied at the George Washington University, receiving a PhD in 1972.
In 1976 he became chairman of the Botany Department, a post he held until 1982.
[2] Wasshausen has described approximately 247 new species in various families, and five new species have been named for him.