Rudolf Schlechter's South-American orchids V. Schlechter's "network": Ecuador and Peru

The fifth chapter of the series about Rudolf Schlechter’s South-American orchids introduces us to those botanists and orchid collectors who travelled and worked in Ecuador and Peru and supplied Schlechter with many of the new orchid species he described. As in previous chapters, the biographies and accomplishments of these travellers are preceded by brief geographical and historical outlines for each of these countries. It is worth mentioning that the lives and orchids of such prominent figures in the orchidology of South America as F.C. Lehmann, W. Hennis, E. Bungeroth and E. Ule, who collected in Ecuador and Peru, have already been mentioned in previous chapters and are therefore omitted here. Keywords/Palabras clave: biography, biografía, history of botany, historia de la botánica, Orchidaceae For accessing the high-resolution PDF, please follow this link: https://n9.cl/836os

Rudolf Schlechter's South-American orchids IV. Schlechter's "network": Venezuela and Colombia

The fourth chapter of the series about Rudolf Schlechter’s South-American orchids again presents abridged biographical information about the botanists and orchid collectors that formed part of Schlechter’s South-American network and who traveled and worked in those countries on the continent’s northern and Caribbean coasts, through Venezuela and Colombia. In the case of Colombia, we cross the isthmus of Darien and arrive for the first time on the Pacific coast of South America. As in other chapters, brief geographical and historical introductory outlines are presented for each of these countries, followed by a narrative on those orchidologists who visited the area, chronologically by the dates of their botanical collections. Keywords/Palabras clave: biography, biografía, history of botany, historia de la botánica, Orchidaceae

Zainteresowanie ochroną przyrody i historią botaniki w Polsce oraz pasja popularyzacji wiedzy przyrodniczej w twórczości Seweryna Józefa Krzemieniewskiego (1871–1945)

Celem pracy jest przedstawienie sylwetki Seweryna Józefa Krzemieniewskiego, jednego z pionierów polskiej mikrobiologii, jako uczonego o zainteresowaniach humanistycznych i interdyscyplinarnych. Jego twórczość w tym obszarze objęła przede wszystkim historię botaniki wniosła ważny wkład w rozwój tej dyscypliny w Polsce, w okresie międzywojennym. Krzemieniewski jest autorem prac analizujących badania przyrodnicze misjonarza Michała Boyma, a także artykułu przedstawiającego historię botaniki w ośrodku lwowskim. Opracował również biogramy botaników polskich, nie wszystkie jednak zostały wydane drukiem. Ponadto uczony przez kilka lat angażował się w intensywne prace na rzecz ochrony przyrody, co pozwala zaliczyć go w tym okresie do grupy czołowych działaczy na tym polu w Polsce i wpisuje na karty historii ochrony przyrody. U podstaw humanistycznej działalności Krzemieniewskiego wydaje się leżeć jego przekonanie o podstawowym znaczeniu edukacji dla rozwoju świadomego i wrażliwego przyrodniczo społeczeństwa, co znajduje wyraźne odbicie w opublikowanych przez niego pracach. Ta idea ma również odzwierciedlenie w działaniach uczonego jako popularyzatora wiedzy przyrodniczej oraz wykładowcy. Study of the interest of Seweryn Józef Krzemieniewski (1871–1945) in the nature conservation, the history of botany in Poland, and his passion for popularizing the natural sciences The aim of this paper is to present one of the pioneers of Polish microbiology, Seweryn Józef Krzemieniewski, as a scholar with humanistic and interdisciplinary interests. His work covered primarily the history of botany and was an important contribution to the development of this discipline in the interwar period in Poland. Krzemieniewski is the author of works analyzing the research of Michał Boym, a missionary in China, as well as of an article presenting the history of botany in Lviv. He also prepared biographies of Polish botanists, but not all of them were published. Additionally, the scientist was involved for several years in intensive work in nature conservation, which makes it possible to include him in the group of leading activists in this field in Poland of that period. Krzemieniewski’s belief in the fundamental importance of education for the development of conscious and environmentally sensitive society seems to be at the root of his humanistic activities, which is clearly visible in his published works. This idea is also reflected in his activities as a popularizer of natural science and a lecturer.

Rudolf Schlechter's South-American orchids III. Schlechter's "network": North and Northeast Brazil, The Guianas

The third chapter of the series about Rudolf Schlechter’s South-American orchids presents concise biographical information about those botanists and orchid collectors who were connected to Schlechter and worked in north and northeastern Brazil, as well as in the three Guianas. As an introduction, a brief geographical outline is presented, dividing the northern territories in four zones: the Amazon basin, the Araguaia-Tocantins river basin, the Northeast region and the Guianas. It is followed by a short mention of the historical milestones in the history of orchids in these regions during the preceding centuries. Key words: Amazon River, biography, history of botany, Orchidaceae, Roraima, Tocantins River

The orchids of John Henry Lance (1793–1878)

John Henry Lance, a British barrister, spent a ten-year term in Surinam as Judge appointed to the ‘Mixed Court’ in Paramaribo, a post created to supervise the compliance of the Dutch authorities with a treaty signed between the Netherlands and England in 1818 prohibiting the slave trade in the Dutch colonies. During his term in Paramaribo, Lance, a friend of Bateman and Lindley, collected several new orchid species. However, his collection of watercolors depicting plants from Surinam, many of them orchids, would appear to be more important. Some of these were painted by himself, others by the Surinamese artist Gerrit Schouten. The orchids of this collection, never published, were supplied by the Lindley Library of the R.H.S. and are reproduced here with its kind permission. Key Words: botanical illustration, history of botany, Orchidaceae, Surinam

Iconografia Selecta da Flora Portuguesa – A ilustração científica no dealbar do séc. XX e o seu contributo na divulgação da botânica

Resumo A obra “Iconografia Selecta da Flora Portuguesa”, de Gonçalo Sampaio (botânico) e Sara Cabral Ferreira (ilustradora), foi editada pela primeira vez em 1949. Contendo cento e cinquenta estampas de espécies da flora portuguesa, este livro destacou-se na literatura botânica nacional, embora fosse uma edição póstuma e incompleta. Os seus desenhos originais, realizados em técnica monotonal (tinta-da-china), integram atualmente a coleção de ilustração científica do Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto (MHNC-UP). Uma vez que nenhum texto, além do prefácio e dos nomes científicos das plantas, acompanha as imagens no livro, as razões que sustentaram a seleção das espécies a ilustrar, assim como a sua relevância botânica, permaneceram desconhecidas. Neste artigo, tentamos reconstruir a história desta iconografia, com base na análise de documentos epistolares e manuscritos. Focamo-nos também na importância da ilustração científica e no seu uso como ferramenta para a representação visual de espécies botânicas e para a comunicação de ciência. Assim, analisamos a metodologia empregue, quer na tipologia do arquétipo, quer na técnica de execução, bem como as eventuais restrições que conduziram a essas opções. Ao analisar estas ilustrações botânicas da primeira metade do séc. XX, procurou-se ainda explorar a pertinência destas iconografias em estudos botânicos anteriores e contemporâneos, bem como o seu potencial enquanto instrumentos de difusão de ciência. Palavras-chave: Ilustração Científica; Flora Portuguesa; História da Botânica. Abstract The book “Iconografia Selecta da Flora Portuguesa”, by Gonçalo Sampaio (botanist) and Sara Cabral Ferreira (illustrator), was first published in 1949. Containing one hundred and fifty prints of Portuguese flora species, this book stood out in the national botanical literature, although it was a posthumous and incomplete edition. The original book drawings, made in a monotonic technique, are part of the scientific illustration collection of the Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Porto (MHNC- UP). Since no text, besides preface and the scientific names of the plants, accompanies the images in the book, the reasons which supported the selection of the species to be illustrated, as well as their botanical relevance, remained unknown. In this article, we attempted to reconstruct the history of this iconography, based on the analysis of epistolary documents and manuscripts. We also focus on the importance of scientific illustration and on its usage as a tool for the visual representation of botanical species and for science communication. Therefore, we analyzed the methodology used both in the typology of the archetype as in the execution techniques, as well as the restrictions that led to those options. By analyzing these botanical drawings of the first half of the twentieth century, it was also sought to explore the relevance of these iconographies in earlier and modern botanical studies, as well as their potential as instruments of diffusion of science. Keywords: Scientific Illustration; Portuguese Flora; History of Botany.

Botany at Stefan Batory University in Vilna (Wilno, Vilnius) (1919–1939)

The university in Vilna (in Polish: Wilno, now: Vilnius, Lithuania), founded in 1579, by Stefan Batory (Stephen Báthory), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, was a centre of Polish botany in 1780–1832 and 1919–1939. In the latter period the university functioned under the Polish name Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego (in English: Stefan Batory University). It comprised six departments connected with botany (General Botany, Pharmacognosy and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants, Plant Taxonomy, Botanical Garden, Garden of Medicinal Plants, and Natural History Museum). There worked such distinguished scientists, as: Jakub Mowszowicz (1901–1983), phytogeographer and phytosociologist; Jan Muszyński (1884–1957), botanist and pharmacist; Bronisław Szakien (1890–1938), cytologist and mycologist; Piotr Wiśniewski (1881––1971), physiologist; and Józef Trzebiński (1867–1941), mycologist and phytopathologist. Ca. 300 publications (including ca. 100 scientific ones) were printed in the period investigated, dealing mainly with morphology and anatomy, cytology, plant physiology, floristics (floristic geography of plants), systematics (taxonomy) of vascular plants, mycology and phytopathology, ecology of plant communities (phytosociology), as well as ethnobotany, and history of botany. Stefan Batory University was also an important centre of teaching and popularization of botany in that region of Europe. The aim of the article is to describe the history of botany at the Stefan Batory University in 1919–1939. Botanika na Uniwersytecie Stefana Batorego w Wilnie (Vilna, Vilnius) (1919–1939) Abstrakt Uniwersytet w Wilnie (w języku angielskim: Vilna, obecnie: Vilnius w Republice Litewskiej), założony w 1579 r. przez Stefana Batorego, króla Polski i wielkiego księcia Litwy, był ośrodkiem polskiej botaniki w latach 1780–1832 oraz 1919–1939. W tym ostatnim okresie funkcjonował pod nazwą Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego (w języku angielskim: Stefan Batory University). W latach 1919–1939 zorganizowano następujące zakłady związane z botaniką: Botaniki Ogólnej, Farmakognozji i Hodowli Roślin Lekarskich, Systematyki Roślin, Ogród Botaniczny, Ogród Roślin Lekarskich oraz Muzeum Przyrodnicze. W ośrodku wileńskim pracowali wybitni uczeni, m.in. Jakub Mowszowicz (1901–1983), fitogeograf i fitosocjolog; Jan Muszyński (1884–1957), botanik i farmaceuta; Bronisław Szakien (1890–1938), cytolog i mykolog; Piotr Wiśniewski (1881–1971), fizjolog oraz Józef Trzebiński (1867–1941), mykolog i fitopatolog. Badacze roślin ogłosili drukiem ok. 300 publikacji (w tym ok. 100 naukowych) dotyczących głównie morfologii i anatomii, cytologii, fizjologii roślin, florystyki (florystycznej geografii roślin), systematyki (taksonomii) roślin naczyniowych, mykologii i fitopatologii, ekologii zbiorowisk roślinnych (fitosocjologii), a także etnobotaniki i historii botaniki. Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego był również ważnym ośrodkiem nauczania i popularyzacji botaniki w tym regionie Europy. Celem artykułu jest opracowanie historii botaniki na Uniwersytecie Stefana Batorego w latach 1919–1939.

Agnes Arber, historian of botany and Darwinian sceptic

This essay aims to reappraise Agnes Arber's contribution to the history of science with reference to her work in the history of botany and biology. Both her first and her last books (Herbals, 1912; The Mind and the Eye, 1954) are classics: the former in the history of botany, the latter in that of biology. As such, they are still cited today, albeit with increasing criticism. Her very last book was rejected by Cambridge University Press because it did not meet the publisher's academic standards – we shall return to it in due course. Despite Kathryn Packer's two essays about Arber's life in context, much remains to be done toward a just appreciation of her research. We need such a reappraisal in order to avoid anachronistic criticisms of her contributions to the historiography of botany, or, on the other hand, uncritical applause for her studies in plant morphology.

Rudolf Schlechter's South-American orchids I. Historical and bibliographical background

This study represents the first part of a series dedicated to the work of Rudolf Schlechter on the orchid flora of South America. The historical background of Schlechter’s botanical activity is outlined, and salient aspects of his biography, as well as his main scientific relationships, in particular with Oakes Ames, and the origins of his interest in tropical America are discussed. We also present a complete bibliography relative to Schlechter’s production on the orchid floras of South American countries, with his network of orchid collectors, growers and other purveyors, and checklists of all the new taxa that he described from each individual country. Key words: bibliography, biography, history of botany, Orchidaceae, South America