António Rodrigo Pinto da Silva
Encyclopedia
António Rodrigo Pinto da Silva (Porto
, March 13, 1912 – Lisbon
, September 28, 1992), often referred to as A.R. Pinto da Silva or P. Silva, was a Portuguese botanist who distinguished himself as a taxonomist and phytosociologist
when he collaborated with Swiss botanist Josias Braun-Blanquet
.
His studies on taxonomy
and floristic yielded a substantial number of new taxa
and a better knowledge about many plants and its nomenclature
. He organized the Estação Agronómica Nacional's (National Agronomic Station) herbarium
, which he rose from 3000 to almost 100,000 entries. He was a pioneer on ethnobotany
studies in Portugal and published several contributions on vernacular nomenclature of Portuguese flora
, cultivated plants and popular use of wild plants as food. For half a century he helped archaeologists, having published numerous works on paleoethnobotany, among more than 300 articles, notes and communications published throughout his life both in Portuguese and foreign publications.
at Oporto. He graduated in agricultural engineering
at Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon
in 1937. Married to biologist Quitéria of Jesus Gonçalves Pinto da Silva, they established Lisbon. In 1968 he became principal investigator
at the National Agronomic Station, where he worked from 1937 to 1982, year of his retirement. Since its founding in 1939, he become head of the Phytosystematics
and Geobotany departments, devoting himself to studies of flora
and vegetation of mainland Portugal and also in the Azores
. Besides the results of his activities, he sought to stimulate others in these and other fields of research, with considerable results.
and floristics
yielded a substantial number of new taxa, among which stand out the Silene
rothmaleri Pinto da Silva, Convolvulus
Fernandes Pinto da Silva & Teles and Digitalis
Heywoodii (Pinto da Silva & M. Silva), including new taxa
for the flora of Portugal and the Azores and a better knowledge of the area of many plants and their nomenclature. Since 1958, despite the shortage of staff, he assembled a Phytochorion Atlas covering more than half the area of Portugal. He organized the herbarium
of the National Agronomic Station, which under his action went from just over 3,000 to almost 100,000 entries. He also developed complementary collections (diaspore
in Portuguese flora, paleoethnobotany
, etc.) and miscellaneous files. He edited the Index Seminum and organized the service of exchange and registration of seeds
of that station from 1939 to 1982. First with the help of the principal investigator eng. AN Telles, then as a member of the Technical Council of the League for the Protection of Nature, of which he was one of the founders, established the first lists of Portuguese botanical areas to protect. Regarding the vegetation, he began systematic studies of phytosociology
in Portugal with the collaboration of the Swiss botanist Josias Braun-Blanquet
, having studied various plant communities and associations as oak forest, rivers, woods, Quercus coccifera forests, dunes, salty, vegetation, limestone soils and ultramafic rocks, vineyards, meadows, pastures.
In addition to the floristic and taxonomic research and phytosociology, he devoted to the naming of cultivated plants and botany nomenclature
, having submitted numerous proposals for amendments to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and intervening in the discussion and vote during the sessions of Nomenclature of the International Botanical Congress
of Stockholm - where he represented the National Agricultural Station and the Botanical Institutes of Coimbra and Porto - and Paris, representing the National Agricultural Station. In that Congress was appointed to the Committee for Spermatophyta of which was part from 1950 to 1969 and who presided until requested excuse.
were dedicated to A.R. Pinto da Silva:
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, March 13, 1912 – Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, September 28, 1992), often referred to as A.R. Pinto da Silva or P. Silva, was a Portuguese botanist who distinguished himself as a taxonomist and phytosociologist
Phytosociology
Phytosociology is the branch of science which deals with plant communities, their composition and development, and the relationships between the species within them. A phytosociological system is a system for classifying these communities...
when he collaborated with Swiss botanist Josias Braun-Blanquet
Josias Braun-Blanquet
Josias Braun-Blanquet was an influential phytosociologist and botanist. Braun-Blanquet was born in Chur, Switzerland and died in Montpellier, France.-Phytosociology:...
.
His studies on taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
and floristic yielded a substantial number of new taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
and a better knowledge about many plants and its nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical...
. He organized the Estação Agronómica Nacional's (National Agronomic Station) herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
, which he rose from 3000 to almost 100,000 entries. He was a pioneer on ethnobotany
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the relationships that exist between people and plants....
studies in Portugal and published several contributions on vernacular nomenclature of Portuguese flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, cultivated plants and popular use of wild plants as food. For half a century he helped archaeologists, having published numerous works on paleoethnobotany, among more than 300 articles, notes and communications published throughout his life both in Portuguese and foreign publications.
Biography
A. R. Pinto da Silva was born in 1912 in the parish of CedofeitaCedofeita
Cedofeita is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Porto. It has a population of 24,784 inhabitants and a total area of 2.66 km²....
at Oporto. He graduated in agricultural engineering
Agricultural engineering
Agricultural engineering is the engineering discipline that applies engineering science and technology to agricultural production and processing...
at Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon
Technical University of Lisbon
The Technical University of Lisbon is a Portuguese public university. It was created in 1930 in Lisbon, as a confederation of older schools, and comprises, nowadays, the faculties and institutes of veterinary medicine; agricultural sciences; economics and business administration; engineering,...
in 1937. Married to biologist Quitéria of Jesus Gonçalves Pinto da Silva, they established Lisbon. In 1968 he became principal investigator
Principal investigator
A principal investigator is the lead scientist or engineer for a particular well-defined science project, such as a laboratory study or clinical trial....
at the National Agronomic Station, where he worked from 1937 to 1982, year of his retirement. Since its founding in 1939, he become head of the Phytosystematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
and Geobotany departments, devoting himself to studies of flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and vegetation of mainland Portugal and also in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. Besides the results of his activities, he sought to stimulate others in these and other fields of research, with considerable results.
Studies in taxonomy, floristics and ethnobotany
His studies in taxonomyTaxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
and floristics
Floristics
Floristics is a subdomain of botany and biogeography that studies distribution and relationships of plant species over geographic areas.The term is not to be confused with floristry....
yielded a substantial number of new taxa, among which stand out the Silene
Silene
Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Common names include campion and catchfly....
rothmaleri Pinto da Silva, Convolvulus
Convolvulus
Convolvulus is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include bindweed and morning glory, both names shared with other closely related genera....
Fernandes Pinto da Silva & Teles and Digitalis
Digitalis
Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that are commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent reviews of phylogenetic research have placed it in the much enlarged family...
Heywoodii (Pinto da Silva & M. Silva), including new taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
for the flora of Portugal and the Azores and a better knowledge of the area of many plants and their nomenclature. Since 1958, despite the shortage of staff, he assembled a Phytochorion Atlas covering more than half the area of Portugal. He organized the herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
of the National Agronomic Station, which under his action went from just over 3,000 to almost 100,000 entries. He also developed complementary collections (diaspore
Diaspore (botany)
In botany, a diaspore is a plant dispersal unit consisting of a seed or spore plus any additional tissues that assist dispersal. In some seed plants, the diaspore is a seed and fruit together, or a seed and elaiosome. In a few seed plants, the diaspore is most or all of the plant, known as a...
in Portuguese flora, paleoethnobotany
Paleoethnobotany
Paleoethnobotany, also known as archaeobotany in European academic circles, is the archaeological sub-field that studies plant remains from archaeological sites...
, etc.) and miscellaneous files. He edited the Index Seminum and organized the service of exchange and registration of seeds
SEEDS
SEEDS is a voluntary organisation registered under the Societies Act of India....
of that station from 1939 to 1982. First with the help of the principal investigator eng. AN Telles, then as a member of the Technical Council of the League for the Protection of Nature, of which he was one of the founders, established the first lists of Portuguese botanical areas to protect. Regarding the vegetation, he began systematic studies of phytosociology
Phytosociology
Phytosociology is the branch of science which deals with plant communities, their composition and development, and the relationships between the species within them. A phytosociological system is a system for classifying these communities...
in Portugal with the collaboration of the Swiss botanist Josias Braun-Blanquet
Josias Braun-Blanquet
Josias Braun-Blanquet was an influential phytosociologist and botanist. Braun-Blanquet was born in Chur, Switzerland and died in Montpellier, France.-Phytosociology:...
, having studied various plant communities and associations as oak forest, rivers, woods, Quercus coccifera forests, dunes, salty, vegetation, limestone soils and ultramafic rocks, vineyards, meadows, pastures.
In addition to the floristic and taxonomic research and phytosociology, he devoted to the naming of cultivated plants and botany nomenclature
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
, having submitted numerous proposals for amendments to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and intervening in the discussion and vote during the sessions of Nomenclature of the International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress is a large-scale meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, from all over the world. Authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies , congresses are held every six years with the venue circulating around the world. The XVIII...
of Stockholm - where he represented the National Agricultural Station and the Botanical Institutes of Coimbra and Porto - and Paris, representing the National Agricultural Station. In that Congress was appointed to the Committee for Spermatophyta of which was part from 1950 to 1969 and who presided until requested excuse.
Dedicated taxa
Several taxonTaxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
were dedicated to A.R. Pinto da Silva:
- Statice x Pinto-Silvae Rothm. (1940)
- AnabaenaAnabaenaAnabaena is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria that exists as plankton. It is known for its nitrogen fixing abilities, and they form symbiotic relationships with certain plants, such as the mosquito fern. They are one of four genera of cyanobacteria that produce neurotoxins, which are harmful to...
Pintoi G. Guerrero (1951) - TaraxacumTaraxacumTaraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Eurasia and North America, and two species, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, are found as weeds worldwide. Both species are edible in their entirety...
Pinto-Silvae van Soest (1956) - Coniothyrium Pinto-Silvae Sousa Dias & Silva Teixeira (1958)
- HieraciumHieraciumHieracium known by its common name Hawkweed and long ago by its classical name hierakion which comes from the ancient Greek hierax, "a hawk"...
Pintodasilvae De Retz (1974) - AlyssumAlyssumAlyssum is a genus of about 100–170 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region...
Pintodasilvae Dudley (1986)
Memberships
- Botanical Society of the British IslesBotanical Society of the British IslesThe Botanical Society of the British Isles is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The society was founded as the Botanical Society of London in 1836...
- International Association for Plant TaxonomyInternational Association for Plant TaxonomyThe International Association for Plant Taxonomy promotes an understanding of plant biodiversity, facilitates international communication of research between botanists, and oversees matters of uniformity and stability in plant names . The IAPT was founded on July 18, 1950 at the Seventh...
- Organization for the Phyto-Taxonomic Investigation of the Mediterranean Area
- Hunt Institute for Botanical DocumentationCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
- Sociedade Broteriana
- Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências Naturais
- Liga para a Protecção da Natureza
- Quercus
- Academia das Ciências de Lisboa