Josef Ludwig Holub
Encyclopedia
The Professor Josef Ludwig Holub (born February 5, 1930, in Mladá Boleslav
, (Czech Republic
) - died July 23, 1999) was a Czech botanist who described a number of new species, worked on systematic reorganization of botanical groups, and contributed greatly to the study of European flora.
, becoming a lecturer in botany in 1953.
He co-founded the Czech Institute of Botany where he worked for many years. He also helped create the Department of Biosystematics, and the journal 'Folia, published by the "Geobotanical and Phytotaxonomic Institute.
In 1991 he was named president of the Czech Botanical Society.
He participated in many botanical field studies in central Europe
.
taxonomy
.
He contributed to economic botany
, especially with his work on the flora
of Slovakia
and the Czech Republic
.
He performed extensive work on the order Lycopodiales and the systematics of the Equisetaceae
. He also made substantial contributions to the studies of the fern genera Dryopteris
, Lastraea, and Thelypteris
.
Other plant genera he worked on included Helictotrichon
, Avenula, Rubus
and Crataegus
.
He was a principal author of Flora of the Czech Republic and the Flora of Slovakia.
Holub contributed to the lists of threatened species for several regions, contributing the Redbook of Endangered Species.
Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, on the left bank of the Jizera river about 50 km northeast of Prague.Founded in the second half of the 10th century by King Boleslav II as a royal castle...
, (Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) - died July 23, 1999) was a Czech botanist who described a number of new species, worked on systematic reorganization of botanical groups, and contributed greatly to the study of European flora.
Biography
Josef Holub studied at Charles University in PragueCharles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
, becoming a lecturer in botany in 1953.
He co-founded the Czech Institute of Botany where he worked for many years. He also helped create the Department of Biosystematics, and the journal 'Folia, published by the "Geobotanical and Phytotaxonomic Institute.
In 1991 he was named president of the Czech Botanical Society.
He participated in many botanical field studies in central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Work
He worked on vascular plantVascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
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...
.
He contributed to economic botany
Economic botany
Economic botany can be very broadly defined as a study of relationships between plants and people. Economic botany contributes significantly to anthropology, biology, conservation, botany, and other fields of science...
, especially with his work on the 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:...
of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
- Holub, J et al. 1967. "Sobrevista de las unidades de vegetación superior de Checoslovaquia , Rozpr.Čs.Acad. Sci. Praga: 77/3: 1-75
He performed extensive work on the order Lycopodiales and the systematics of the Equisetaceae
Equisetaceae
Equisetaceae, sometimes called the horsetail family, is the only extant family of the class Equisetales, with one surviving genus, Equisetum, which comprises about twenty species.- Evolution and systematics :...
. He also made substantial contributions to the studies of the fern genera Dryopteris
Dryopteris
Dryopteris , commonly called wood ferns, male ferns, and buckler ferns, is a genus of about 250 species of ferns with distribution in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in eastern Asia. Many of the species have stout, slowly creeping rootstocks that form a crown,...
, Lastraea, and Thelypteris
Thelypteris
Thelypteris is a genus of ferns in the family Thelypteridaceae. If the genus is defined fairly broadly, it contains 875 species, many of which are extremely similar to one another, and is found nearly worldwide. The ferns are terrestrial, with the exception of a few which are lithophytes...
.
Other plant genera he worked on included Helictotrichon
Helictotrichon
Helictotrichon is a genus of perennial grass in the Poaceae family.- Selected species :* Helictotrichon altius Ohwi* Helictotrichon bromoides C. E...
, Avenula, Rubus
Rubus
Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are...
and Crataegus
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
.
He was a principal author of Flora of the Czech Republic and the Flora of Slovakia.
Holub contributed to the lists of threatened species for several regions, contributing the Redbook of Endangered Species.