Background
Wulfen was born in Belgrade. His father, Christian Friedrich von Wulfen, was a high-ranking lieutenant in the Austrian Army of Swedish descent. His mother, née Mariassy, was a Hungarian countess.
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Franz Xaver Freiherr
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He is credited with discovering the flowering plants Wulfenia carinthiaca, Saxifraga moschata, and Stellaria bulbosa. In 1845 the lead molybdate mineral wulfenite was named in his honor by Wilhelm Karl von Haidinger. Franz"s education took place at Kaschau Gymnasium in present-day Košice, Slovakia.
Following his graduation, he became a school instructor (chiefly of mathematics and physics) in Vienna, Graz, Neusohl, Gorz, Laibach (Ljubljana), and from 1764 Klagenfurt.
By 1763, he was officially a priest. Wulfen died at the age of 76 years.
The genus Wulfenia was named in 1782 in his honor by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin. Also, he is commemorated by plants with the specific epithet of wulfenii.
A monument in Klagenfurt, erected in 1838, honors him, describing him as "equally great as priest, scholar and man".
Membership
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]
In 1796, Wulfen was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
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Born
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Died
March 17, 1805 (aged 76) -
Nationality
Holy Roman Empire