Lange was son the mycologist
Jakob E. Lange. He was
professor of
botany at the
University of Copenhagen 1958-1989 and university
vice chancellor 1976–1979. Early in his career, he established his name in
arctic mycology, starting with his first expedition to
Greenland in 1946. His studies of mating and intersterility in
basidiomycetes are now classical. Later Lange's active research career succumbed to the burden of many administrative and political commitments. He nevertheless authored a number of popular
mushroom books, which have been translated to several languages. ==Political career==