Christian Luerssen (6 May 1843, Bremen – 28 June 1916) was a German botanist. He was an authority in the field of pteridology.

In 1872, at Leipzig, he graduated as a university teacher of botany, and was later appointed professor of botany at the Forest Academy at Neustadt-Eberswalde (1884). From 1888, he served as a professor at the University of Königsberg.^[1] After his death, a portion of his botanical collection (including European pteridophytes) was donated by Otto Bjurling to the Swedish Museum of Natural History.^[2]

Luerssen was the taxonomic authority of the family Sciadopityaceae (1877).^[3] He has a number of plant species named after him, such as Koeleria luerssenii (grass species) and Cassia luerssenii (family Fabaceae).^[4][5]

Written works

• Filices Graeffeanae. Beitrag zur kenntniss der farnflora der Viti-, Samoa-, Tonga- und Ellice's inseln, 1871 - Contribution to the knowledge of ferns of Viti Levu, Samoa, Tonga and the Ellice Islands.
• Grundzüge der Botanik (11 editions between 1877 and 1893) - Basics of botany.
• Die Farnpflanzen, oder, Gefassbündelkryptogamen (Pteridophyta) - Ferns, or vascular-bundle cryptogams (Pteridophyta).
• Handbuch der systematischen botanik, mit besonderer berücksichtigung der arzneipflanzen. Volume 1, 1879 - Manual of plant systematics, with special consideration to medicinal plants.
• Die Pflanzen der Pharmacopoea germanica botanisch erläutert, 1883 - Plants of the Pharmacopoeia Germanica botanical explained.
• Die einführung japanischer waldbäume in die deutschen forsten, 1885 - Introduction of Japanese forest trees into German forests.^[6][7]