Boris Fedtschenko

Boris Alexjewitsch (Alexeevich) Fedtschenko
Black and white photo of botanist Boris Alexjewitsch Fedtschenko
Botanist Boris Alexjewitsch Fedtschenko
Born 27 December 1872 (8 January 1873 in Russian Calender)
Leipzig
Died 29 September 1947 (aged 74)
Leningrad
Nationality English
Occupation Plant pathologist, Botanist,

Boris Alexjewitsch (Alexeevich) Fedtschenko was an Russian plant pathologist and botanist. He is primarily known for his work on various regions of Russia, especially the Caucasus, Siberia and Asiatic Russia. He was also head botanist at the Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden.

Biography

Boris Fedtschenko was the son of botanists Olga Fedtschenko (1845-1921) and Aleksei Fedtschenko (1844-1873).[1] He was born in Leipzig, while his parent were on an expedition in Western Europe.[2] In 1873, eight months after he was born Alexei, was killed in a climbing accident on Mont Blanc.

Boris studied natural sciences at the University of Moscow.[2]

Between 1891-1892, she undertook the first of many trips with her son, going firstly to the Ural Mountains.[2]

In the summer of 1893, they explored the Crimea twice. In 17 to 28 June and then July 29 to August 1. They made a large circular botanical voyage around the Crimean Mountains and collected in the Sevastopol area.[3] In 1894, they explored Transcaucasia. In 1897, they studied the flora of the western Tian Mountains.[2]

Between 1898-1899, Fedtschenko became a botanist at the Imperial Botanic Garden in St Petersburg.[4]

In 1901, Olga and Boris went on a botanical expedition in the Pamir Mountain range. Later they published 'Materiaux pour la flore du Caucase' (1901), 'Flora of the Pamirs' (1901) and 'Conspectus Florae Turkestanicae' (1913),[1] which covered 4145 species.[4]

Between 1899 and 1904, their large collections (including 700+ specimens from SW Crimea) were carefully studied and completely reflected in a series of papers.[3] The plant collection was later given to the Botanic Garden. Now, one of its most notable collections.[5] They also published “Flora Europae Orientalis”

By 1902, he was the Head of the botanic garden's Herbarium. This also meant he was responsible for editing the Garden's Periodical ('Bulletin of the Imperial Institute'), which was started in 1919. It conducted fieldwork in Central Asia during the 1920s, which added species information to the Flora SSSR project.

He also published several works in 'Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada' (Proceedings of the St.Petersburg Botanical Garden), including Eritrichium pamiricum in 1903, based on the expeditions.[6]

In 1904, he published 'Novitae florae Turkestanciae',[7] which was also translated into German in 1914 - 'Übersicht sämtlicher bis jetzt für den Russischen Turkestan'.[8]

In 1908, he stopped the publication of the botanic gardens journal 'Botanicheskij Zhurnal' (Ботаническiй Журналъ) which had been published since 1906 to 1908. Then with the help of algologist and mycologist 'Alexandr Alexandrovich Elenkin' and botanist Alexandr Fedorovich Flerow. Fedtschenko started a new independent journal called 'Journal Russe de Botanique' (Русскiй ботаническiй журналъ). It published issues eight times a year, until 1915 when World War 1 started and financial cut backs had to be made.[9]

Between 1908 and 1910, Fedtschenko and Alexander F. Flerow published 'Flora Evropejskoj Rossii' - (Flora of the European part of Russia), which contained up to 3,542 new species. This large piece of work also had contributions from other botanists.[10]

In 1907, 1908 and 1910, they also published a 3 part volume 'Okskaya Flora' (Flora of the Oka).[10]

After they had published the 'Flora' volumes, they were then criticized by several botanists including, F.S. Nenyukov, N.I. Kusnezov and Eduard Regel, due to its very short descriptions. But this made the books very compact and portable, and therefore very widely used.[10]

In 1910, he wrote an article in the 'Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, Vol 8.[11]

In 1910 and 1915, Boris and his mother (now aged 70), returned to Turkestan for more plant hunting expeditions.[2]

In 1930, he attended the Fifth International Botanical Congress held at the Imperial Institute, in London, he attended the International Congress of Tropical Agriculture and Colonial Development (discussing Cotton in Egypt).[12]

Boris collaborated with the many institutions including, Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Garden of Geneva.[2]

Also in 1930, Fedtschenko started organising botanists around Russia, to survey the plants in the regions and report back their findings to create a national plant survey.[1]

In 1931, the Imperial Botanic Garden and Imperial Botanical Museum were merged to create the Komarov Botanical Institute. Vladimir Komarov was head of the museum and, as such, outranked Fedtschenko. He then took over responsibility for the Flora SSSR project and becoming its editor-in-chief. Eventually the thirty-volume flora was completed and published in 1964, after Fedtschenko had died in 1947. The Volumes covered some 17,500 plant species, it represented a huge step forwards for botany in Russia.[1]

Boris Fedtschenko died on 29 September 1947 in Leningrad (now called St Petersburg).[13]

The specific epithet fedtschenkoi honors botanist 'Boris Fedtschenko'.[4][14][15]

Significant other works of the 1900s includes; 'Plantea assiae mediea' by Olga Fedtschenko and B. Fedtschenko (1906-1916) 'Jakutskaja flora' (1907) by B. Fedtschenko 'Flora Evropejskoj Rossii' (1908-1910) by B. Fedtschenko and Alexander F. Flerow. 'Flora Asiatskoj Rossii' (1912-1924) by B. Fedtschenko and Alexander F. Flerow. 'Flora Rossiae Austro-orientalis' (1927-1936, index in 1938) by B Fedtschenko and Boris K. Schischkin[16]

He is the botanical author of many species of plant and tree including; Abies sibirica var. semenovii(1899),[17] Echinops tschimganicus(1911), Gypsophila bucharica(1911),[18] Nephrodium amurense(1918),[19] and Saussurea turgaiensis(1910),[20]

The epithet 'fedtschenkoanus' also refers to Boris.[22] But 'fedtschenkoi' refers to his father and mothers work.

He is mentioned in D.J. Mabberley portable plant books of 1997.[23][24]

Other sources

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Fedtschenko, Boris Alexjewitsch (Alexeevich) (1872-1947)". plants.jstor.org. JSTOR 000331113.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 VL Komarov Комаров В. Л., Ольга Александровна Федченко. Некролог [Obituary for Olga Alexandrovna Fedchenko] // Изв. Росс. акад. наук, 6 серия. 1921 Т. 15 pages1-18
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Seregin, Alexey P. (2008). "Contribution to the vascular flora of the Sevastopol area (the Crimea): A check list and new records" (pdf). p. 4. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 D. Gledhill &pg=PA164 The Names of Plants , p. 164, at Google Books
  5. ↑ "Shetler, Stanwyn G. The Komarov Botanical Institute, 250 Years of Russian Research. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1967.". archive.org. p. 30. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Eritrichium pamiricum". flora.huh.harvard.edu. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Boris Fedtschenko Novitae_florae_Turkestanciae QRLtwAACAAJ at Google Books
  8. ↑ Sennikov, Alexander N.; Lazkov, Georgy A.; Uotila, Pertti; Weber, Heinrich E. (2011). "Taxonomic corrections and new records in vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan" (pdf). Memoranda Soc. Fauna Flora Fennica. p. 61. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Doweld, Alexander (June 2010). "Taxonomic Literature Addenda. Dates of publication of the Journal Russe de Botanigue/Russkij Botanicheskij Zhurnal (Русский ботанический журнал)". academia.edu. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Andrei Aleksandrovich, Fedorov, and Andrei Evgenevich Bobrov (Editors)of Russia, Volume 1&pg=PA2 VfkVAwAAQBAJ, p. 2, at Google Books
  11. ↑ Imperial Institute&pg=PA133 Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, Vol 8., p. 133, at Google Books
  12. ↑ "Fifth International Botanical Congress Vol 8". archive.org. 1910. p. 134. Retrieved 3 October 2104. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ↑ Dorr, L.J.; Nicolson, Dan H. (2008). Taxonomic literature A selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G. p. 85. ISBN 978-3-906166-65-0.
  14. ↑ Raymond-Hamet & H. Perrier de la Bathie. Troisième Contribution a l'Étude des Crassulacées Malagaches. (1915) Annales du Musée colonial de Marseille ser.3:3:63-121
  15. ↑ SM Growers
  16. ↑ David G. Frodin Guide to Standard Floras of the World: An Annotated, Geographically Arranged , p. 38,661,, at Google Books
  17. ↑ Henry John Elwes, Augustine Henry The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, p. 758, at Google Books
  18. ↑ "Gypsophila bucharica Fedtschenko". collections.si.edu. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Nephrodium amurense B.Fedtschenko". theplantlist.org. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Saussurea turgaiensis B.Fedtsch.". theplantlist.org. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  21. ↑ "Author Query for 'B.Fedtsch.'". International Plant Names Index.
  22. ↑ Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton u2n5vusQ1DEC&pg=PA82 Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names, p. 82, at Google Books
  23. ↑ D. J. Mabberley The Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of the Vascular Plants (2nd Edit), p. 822, at Google Books
  24. ↑ D. J. Mabberley The Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, their cultivation and uses, p. 980, at Google Books

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