Heinrich Wawra von Fernsee

Heinrich Wawra Ritter von Fernsee (born Jindřich Blažej Vávra; 2 February 1831 – 24 May 1887) was a Czech-Austrian ship surgeon, botanist and explorer.

Heinrich Wawra von Fernsee was born on 2 February 1831 in Brno, Moravia.

The youngest of five sons of a miller, he studied medicine and botany at the University of Vienna from 1849 to 1855.

Upon graduating he joined the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy on 6 December 1855.

Wawra von Fernsee retired from the navy in 1878 to work on his extensive collections.