(krĭs'tyän kôn'rät shprĕng'əl) , 1750–1816, German botanist. Although director of a school at Spandau and tutor in Berlin, he devoted himself chiefly to the study of flowering plants. He pointed out (1793) the role of insects and of the wind in the cross-pollination of plants, but his observations were neglected until they were brought to public attention by Charles Darwin.