Hugh Iltis
Encyclopedia
Hugh Hellmut Iltis is Professor Emeritus of Botany
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and is best known for his discoveries in the domestication of corn (maize
).
Raised in Czechoslovakia, Iltis left Europe as a refugee just weeks prior to Nazi invasion of the country
in March 1939. His father, Hugo Iltis
, was a teacher at the Brno Gymnasium, a botanist and geneticist, and a vocal opponent of Nazi eugenics
. He was the biographer of Gregor Mendel
.
Iltis served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, initially in an artillery unit. He was later transferred to an intelligence unit. After the war, Iltis was posted in Germany, where he sorted through piles of documents left by the Nazis, uncovering evidence of German war crimes
.
Iltis was primarily trained in plant systematics and taxonomy with a focus on the families Cleomaceae and Capparaceae. While at the University of Arkansas
from 1952–55, Iltis completed a study of the Capparaceae
of Nevada
. Later publications formed a series, Studies in the Capparaceae, which includes 24 publications, including newly described species and genera. An associated series of papers describes research in the family Cleomaceae
, which was separated from the Capparaceae.
An avid plant collector, Iltis led numerous expeditions to many parts of the world to search for new plant species. As a botanist, he served as the Director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Herbarium. His work is of great economic importance, because he identified new sources of genetic variability that have been used by plant breeders.
Iltis used taxonomic and morphological approaches to investigate the domestication of corn. His work supported the view that domestic corn was derived from a species of teosinte
, a group of grasses that grows wild in many areas of Mexico
. It was once believed that the original wild corn was extinct. He also led a team of botanists who discovered a new species of teosinte in western Mexico that they named Zea diploperennis (Iltis, Doebley and Guzman).
Another of Iltis's discoveries occurred in 1962, while he and Don Ugent were on a plant collecting expedition in Peru
. Iltis spotted a wild tomato
that had never been classified by taxonomists before, which he noted as No. 832. He sent samples and seeds to a variety of specialists in the field and collected specimens for several herbarium
s. This wild tomato turned out to be a new species of tomato with much higher sugar and solids content than domestically grown tomatoes. As a source for hybridization with domestic tomatoes, it has been used both to improve the flavor of tomatoes and to boost solids content.
Iltis is an uncompromising and outspoken environmentalist
and conservationist
, a champion of preserving endangered and threatened habitats to preserve biodiversity
. Some species of teosinte are critically endangered, and all face the loss of habitat as agricultural land use expands in Mexico. Through his efforts, Iltis convinced the government of Mexico to devote resources to conservation of habitat for Zea diploperennis.
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and is best known for his discoveries in the domestication of corn (maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
).
Raised in Czechoslovakia, Iltis left Europe as a refugee just weeks prior to Nazi invasion of the country
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
in March 1939. His father, Hugo Iltis
Hugo Iltis
Hugo Iltis was a Czech-American biologist.-Life:Iltis studied botany in Brünn, in Zurich as an assistant to Arnold Dodel-Port, and in Prague. He was professor of biology at the Deutsches Gymnasium in Brünn from 1905 to 1938, and Privatdozent of botany and genetics in the Deutsche...
, was a teacher at the Brno Gymnasium, a botanist and geneticist, and a vocal opponent of Nazi eugenics
Nazi eugenics
Nazi eugenics were Nazi Germany's racially-based social policies that placed the improvement of the Aryan race through eugenics at the center of their concerns...
. He was the biographer of Gregor Mendel
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Johann Mendel was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of the new science of genetics. Mendel demonstrated that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance...
.
Iltis served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, initially in an artillery unit. He was later transferred to an intelligence unit. After the war, Iltis was posted in Germany, where he sorted through piles of documents left by the Nazis, uncovering evidence of German war crimes
German war crimes
The government of Germany ordered, organized and condoned several war crimes in both World War I and World War II. The most notable of these is the Holocaust in which millions of people were murdered or died from abuse and neglect, 60% of them Jews...
.
Iltis was primarily trained in plant systematics and taxonomy with a focus on the families Cleomaceae and Capparaceae. While at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
from 1952–55, Iltis completed a study of the Capparaceae
Capparaceae
Capparaceae , commonly known as the Caper family, is a family of plants in order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, it contains 33 genera and about 700 species...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Later publications formed a series, Studies in the Capparaceae, which includes 24 publications, including newly described species and genera. An associated series of papers describes research in the family Cleomaceae
Cleomaceae
Cleomaceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, comprising about 300 species in 10 genera. These genera were previously included in the family Capparaceae, but were raised to a distinct family when DNA evidence showed that the genera included in it are more closely...
, which was separated from the Capparaceae.
An avid plant collector, Iltis led numerous expeditions to many parts of the world to search for new plant species. As a botanist, he served as the Director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Herbarium. His work is of great economic importance, because he identified new sources of genetic variability that have been used by plant breeders.
Iltis used taxonomic and morphological approaches to investigate the domestication of corn. His work supported the view that domestic corn was derived from a species of teosinte
Teosinte
Zea is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. Several species are commonly known as teosintes and are found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua....
, a group of grasses that grows wild in many areas of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was once believed that the original wild corn was extinct. He also led a team of botanists who discovered a new species of teosinte in western Mexico that they named Zea diploperennis (Iltis, Doebley and Guzman).
Another of Iltis's discoveries occurred in 1962, while he and Don Ugent were on a plant collecting expedition in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Iltis spotted a wild tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
that had never been classified by taxonomists before, which he noted as No. 832. He sent samples and seeds to a variety of specialists in the field and collected specimens for several 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...
s. This wild tomato turned out to be a new species of tomato with much higher sugar and solids content than domestically grown tomatoes. As a source for hybridization with domestic tomatoes, it has been used both to improve the flavor of tomatoes and to boost solids content.
Iltis is an uncompromising and outspoken environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
and conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, a champion of preserving endangered and threatened habitats to preserve biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. Some species of teosinte are critically endangered, and all face the loss of habitat as agricultural land use expands in Mexico. Through his efforts, Iltis convinced the government of Mexico to devote resources to conservation of habitat for Zea diploperennis.