Berchtold was born in Stráže nad Nežárkou, District Jindřichův Hradec, in the Czech Republic. He graduated from medical school in 1804, after which he practiced medicine and devoted much of his time to botany and natural history. He eventually abandoned regular medical practice and travelled throughout Europe, the Middle East and Brazil. He co-authored several research papers with brother botanists Carl Borivoj Presl and Jan Svatopluk Presl.
Regarding personal names: Graf is a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin.. Hrabě is the Czech equivalent, the female form is hraběnka.
