Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787 - 1869) had manifold research interests; some of them echoed also in the next generations of his family. Our contribution is dedicated to those "heirs" within the Purkyně family, who - probably not always fully appreciated - contributed significantly to the development of some of the botanical disciplines.
Emanuel Purkyně (1832-1882, son of J. E.
Purkyně) dealt with issues concerning plant distribution, plant communities and effect of environmental factors on plants. In this regard we can consider him one the founders of a discipline now called geobotany.
Cyril Purkyně (1862-1937, grandson of J. E.
Purkyně) - the leading figure of geological research in Bohemia - dealt with plants in several paleobotanical studies and chapters.