Karl Maximovich

Carl Johann Maximovich

Karl Maximovich
Born 23 November 1827
Tula, Russia
Died 16 February 1891 (aged 63)
St. Petersburg, Russia
Occupation Herbarium director, Botanist, Explorer, and Plant Collector.

Carl Johann Maximovich (also Karl Ivanovich Maximovich, Russian: Карл Иванович Максимович; 1827 in Tula, Russia – 1891 in Saint Petersburg) was a Russian botanist. Maximovich spent most of his life studying the flora of the countries he had visited in the Far East, and naming many new species. He worked at the Saint Petersburg Botanical Gardens from 1852 as curator of the herbarium collection, becoming Director in 1869.

History

Born a Baltic-German, his name at birth was Karl Ivanovich Maksimovich, but he changed it to the German version of his name for his scientific work.[1] He graduated from the institution which is now University of Tartu, Estonia in (1850), he was a pupil of Alexander G. von Bunge.[2]

From 1853-1857 he traveled around the world. He travelled with another Baltic-German Leopold von Schrenck to the Amur region in eastern Asia. From 1859 to 1864 he also he visited China, Korea and Japan. He arrived in Japan in late 1860, initially basing his operations in Hakodate. He traveled extensively in southern Japan and for much of 1862 including the region of Yokohama and Mount Fuji, he ended that year in Nagasaki. He also explored much of Kyūshū.[1]

He was particularly involved with the flora of Japan, following the footsteps of notably Carl Peter Thunberg, and Philipp Franz von Siebold. His assistant in Japan was Sukawa Chonosuke, whose name was given by Maximovich to the flower Trillium tschonoskii.

He also studied the flora of Tibet, concluding that it was chiefly composed of immigrants from Mongolia and the Himalaya.

Commissioned by the Russian Academy of Sciences, he purchased from von Siebold’s widow the set of eight volumes of the famous collection of Japanese botanical illustrations drawn by several Japanese artists.

Named in his honor

Plants named by him

Maximovich described and named over 2300 plants which were previously unknown to science.[3]

Selected works

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Japan’s botanical sunrise plant exploration around the Meiji Restoration Peter Barnes (originally published in Curtis's Botanical Magazine 18(1): 117-131 (2001))
  2. ↑ Great Soviet Encyclopedia Article "Maksimovich Karl Ivanovich".
  3. ↑ IPNI Results for Maxim. International Plant Names Index 2005.
  4. ↑ "Author Query for 'Maxim.'". International Plant Names Index.