Adolpho Ducke

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Walter Adolpho Ducke (born October 19, 1876 in Trieste, Italy; died January 5, 1959 in Fortaleza, Brazil), also referred to as Adolfo Ducke, was a notable botanist and ethnographer of the Amazonian Rainforest.

First he started to work in Amazônia as entomologist for the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi but due to the influence of botanists Jacques Huber and Paul Le Cointe he became a botanist. He travelled all regions of Amazônia to study the complicated tree system of the rainforest. He published 180 articles and monographs mainly about the Leguminosae. He described 900 species and 50 new genus. In 1918 he continued his work for the Paraense Museum where he collaborated with other institutions like the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden and the Instituto Agronômico do Norte. In the first half ot the 20th Century he became one of the biggest authorities of the Amazonian flora. In 1954 his concerns about the future of the Amazonian forest led him made a suggestion to the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) for the creation of a nature reserve. He was no more able to witness the fulfilment of his dream because he died in Fortaleza in 1959. In 1963 the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke was established and named in his honour. There is also a botanical garden east of Manaus which was named for him.