[1] In 1525, Rhellicanus became a teacher at St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein, near Zurich, where he taught Heinrich Bullinger during the latter's five-month stay in 1527 in Zürich to study languages and attend the Prophezei; both were followers of Huldrych Zwingli.

[1] Rhellicanus became a botanist in 1536 while visiting the Stockhorn mountain and immersing himself in nature there; he later a didactic poem about the trip, entitled Stockhornia, written in hexameter.

[1][2]: 182  In this, he made the earliest known description of the dark vanilla orchid, which was later named Gymnadenia rhellicani in his honor.

[3] Rhellicanus himself called the plant Christimanus (Latin: Christi manus, "Christ's hand").

[4][5]: 222 Other works of Rhellicanus include an encomium of Johannes Oecolampadius composed in Greek,[6]: 93  and a translation into Latin from the Greek of the De Homero (On Homer) of Pseudo-Plutarch, which he entitles Homeri Vita, Ex Plutarcho ("The Life of Homer, From Plutarch")[7]