Italian botanists: five centuries of Botany in 280 biographies

The Flora Journal

Jan 8

Published by ETS Editions and written by Lorenzo Peruzzi, professor of systematic botany at the University of Pisa, Italy, where he is currently the Director of the Botanical Garden and Museum the book 'Italian Botanists: five centuries of Botany in 280 biographies' describes from Leonardo Da Vinci to the present day, the History of Botany in Italy through 280 short biographies of the leading figures, many of whom are true giants, who contributed to the development of "Scientia amabilis" by playing an important role for the development and accumulation of botanical knowledge.

The first person concerns Pliny the Elder, (AD 23/24 – AD 79), the forerunner, whose two-thousandth anniversary will be celebrated in 2023. The subsequent entries are grouped by era: sixteenth century, seventeenth century, eighteenth century, nineteenth century, and twentieth century, following the scholar's main period of activity. Within each era, botanists are listed according to their date of birth.

Leonardo da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. As so often, his studies for a painting excited his interest and the botany soon became an investigation in its own right, and it seems that Leonardo considered writing a treatise on the structure of plants and trees.

Federico Angelo Cesi (26 February 1585 – 1 August 1630) for example was an Italian scientist, naturalist, and founder of the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, and the plant genus Caesia was named in his honour. Particular emphasis was placed on the eponyms and relationships of the botanists treated with the Italian Botanical Society, founded in 1888 by Filippo Parlatore. He published numerous treatises on botanical subjects, in various periodicals, chiefly in the Giornale botanico Italiano, which he founded. He also gave considerable attention to the history of botany in Italy. His lifework in botany, however, is Flora Italiana, of which five volumes appeared between 1848 and 1874.

Women also made a great contribution to the study of botany. Starting from the mother of the famous Italian writer Italo Calvino, Giuliana Luigia Evelina Mameli (February 12, 1886 – March 31, 1978), was an Italian botanist, and naturalist. She was the first woman in Italy to become professor in Botany. In 1920 she moved to Cuba with her husband Mario Calvino who had been called to direct the local Experimental Agronomic Station.

Silvia Zenari (31 March 1895 – 30 June 1956) was an Italian geologist and botanist. While working for the Istituto di Geologia, Zenari studied the Dolomites in Belluno, Cadore, and Comelico between 1930 and 1950, eventually turning her focus on botany as well as geology. Gentian was named after her: Gentiana froelichii Jan ex Rchb. subsp. zenariae F.Martini & Poldini.