 He studied natural sciences at the University of Berlin, where his instructors included Adolf Engler (1844–1930) and Simon Schwendener (1829–1919).In 1926 he became a curator and professor at the Botanical Museum in Berlin, where in 1938 he was appointed director of the "Hauptpilzstelle".Known for his intrafamilial investigations of the botanical families Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Caryophyllaceae, in 1934 he subdivided Chenopodiaceae into eight subfamilies; Salicornioideae, Polycnemoideae, Chenopodioideae, Salsoloideae, et al.