He studied medicine in Geneva and Basel, and natural sciences in Munich, where in 1914 he obtained his PhD.
Following graduation, with Robert Hippolyte Chodat, he participated in a botanical excursion to Paraguay.
After his return to Switzerland, he spent several years in Geneva (1914–1919), working on plants that were collected in Paraguay.
[2] Beginning in 1919 he worked as a botanist at the rubber research station in Buitenzorg, Java.
In 1924 he qualified as a lecturer at the University of Basel, where from 1928 to 1960, he served as an associate professor of botany.