Everyone loves Echeveria laui. As I also mentioned in my Latin Name Column, it's named after a Mr. Lau. But have you noticed just how many plants are called "laui"? Mammillaria, Copiapoa, Eriosyce... And there are even types with code-like names like "Lau 026."

So who exactly is this "Mr. Lau"?

After digging through various sources, I realized that most plant profiles that briefly mention "Alfred Lau" usually just skim the surface—or are even a bit off the mark! Instead of just repeating vague information, I'd like to share what I learned about his real achievements here.

Early Life

His full name is Alfred Bernhard Lau. As is often stated, he was born in Solingen, Germany on August 5, 1928. Later, at 19 years old in 1947, he moved to England and studied botany and theology at All Nations Bible College, earning his doctorate. At 24 (1952), he moved to the United States. In 1955 (age 27), he married Anni Siemers (they had 7 children!). Then, in 1957 (age 29) he moved to Córdoba, Mexico where he carried out most of his life's work in Mexico and South America until his passing from heart disease in 2007 (age 79).

His Work

In Los Angeles, he taught middle schoolers at Colestar Academy. After moving to Mexico, his main occupation was as a missionary, but he also devoted himself to educational activities like hosting indigenous boys from southern Mexico as homestays, supporting them so they could become doctors, engineers, lawyers, and teachers.

To fund these activities, he sold cactus and orchid seeds collected in Mexico internationally. He often went on plant-hunting trips with his students, leading to the discovery of many new species. Through these activities, his reputation spread world-wide as a plant collector and expedition guide.

From 1968 (age 40) through later years, he explored Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile, becoming a leading authority on cacti, bromeliads, and orchids of the region. The earliest official publication of a new species named for him dates from about 1970, which fits this timeline.

However, since Mr. Lau’s funding relied mainly on exporting cactus seeds from Mexico—and such exports are now basically banned—his source of income dried up overnight while he was still active. Not only that, but he ended up being expelled from Mexico (none of the sources specify when exactly this happened...). After that, he lived in neighboring Belize. Eventually he was allowed to re-enter Mexico, but he passed away less than a year later.

Succulents Connected to Mr. Lau

Here are a few of the plants discovered by Mr. Lau.

First and foremost is Echeveria laui. Discovered in 1974 in Oaxaca, Mexico, it was later formally described as a new species by Moran and J. Meyran in 1976. One reason Mr. Lau’s name appears so often in plant names is that while he would discover and collect new species, he would often leave the publications to other botanists, who then named them in his honor.

*Note: Mr. Lau did author some papers himself, but he never named a species after himself. In fact, even though people often say, "If you discover a new species, you can name it after yourself," very few people actually do so!*

References

Chuck Staples, “Alfred Bernhard Lau”
A thorough scholarly resource, not just listing his published species but also providing a timeline and family tree information. Paid resource.

Peter Steyn, “A famous botanist and a Kekchi Mayan family in Belize”
A personal report from the author’s visit to Mr. Lau’s home in Belize, when Lau was living there before being allowed back into Mexico. Vivid writing gives you a sense of Lau’s personality.

[Wikipedia (Spanish)](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Bernhard_Lau)

In Closing

So, that’s a brief summary of the life and achievements of Alfred Lau.

I myself used to label laui as "German collector" (since that's what the source I read said!), but now I realize that doesn’t capture who he really was. So, I revised it to “German-born botanist.” Of course, depending on the context, you could also use titles like missionary, educator, or philanthropist since he contributed in so many different ways.

There are so many names that pop up when exploring succulents—each one is evidence of the many people who have helped shape the world of succulents. To help preserve their achievements, I hope to keep sharing these “succulent heroes” here in future articles!