Aino Marjatta Henssen (12 April 1925,
Elberfeld – 29 August 2011,
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
), was a German
lichenologist and systematist. Her father,
Gottfried Henssen, was a folklorist and her mother was
Finnish.
Education and career
Henssen began her studies in Biology in Freiburg, Germany, before continuing in Marburg, Germany. She obtained her doctorate in 1953, which focused on the physiology of ''
Spirodela polyrhiza''. In 1963, she became the curator of the ''Botanisches Institut'' at ''
Philipps-Universität
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the worl ...
'' in Marburg, Germany. Following her habilitation in 1965, she was appointed in 1970 to the position of Associate Professor for
thallophyte studies. She retired in 1990.
[ "Short biographies of 104 lichenologists who have played a key role in the development of German lichenology are provided." ("Aino Henssen" on pp. 41–43)]
Contributions
Henssen made many advancements to the taxonomic knowledge of cyanolichens and wrote a textbook on the subject. This book reorganized the taxonomic classification and connected lichen families to evolutionary clades. She later focused on
actinomycetes during her postdoctoral at the Institute for Bacteriology in Berlin, leading to the discovery of two new genera, ''Pseudonocardia'' Henssen and ''Thermomonospora'' Henssen. She was passionate towards her field work, which took her around the world to collect specimens. Over the years, Henssen published many scientific articles on topics relating to lichens, fungi and the systematics of these groups. She has been credited for having introduced the term in a 1963 publication, referring to a specific type of characteristic of the family
Lichinaceae
The Lichinaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi. Most species are lichenized with cyanobacteria, and have a distribution largely in temperate regions.
Taxonomy
The family was circumscribed in 1854 by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander. H ...
.
Recognition
Henssen was given a scholarship from the
American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...
. In 1992, she was honored with an
Acharius Medal
__NOTOC__
The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and c ...
.
Eponymy
Several lichens have been
named to honour Henssen, including: ''
Ainoa'' which is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of lichens in the family
Baeomycetaceae .
And also the species of; ''
Caloplaca hensseniana
''Caloplaca'' is a lichen genus comprising a number of distinct species. Members of the genus are commonly called firedot lichen, jewel lichen.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, gold lichens, "ora ...
'' ; ''
Diploschistes hensseniae'' ; ''
Gyalidea hensseniae'' ; ''
Lecanora hensseniae'' ; ''
Nephroma hensseniae
''Nephroma'' is a genus of medium to large foliose lichens. The genus has a widespread distribution. They are sometimes called kidney lichens, named after the characteristic kidney-shaped apothecia that they produce on the lower surface of their ...
'' ; ''
Parmotrema hensseniae
''Parmotrema'' is a genus of lichen belonging to the family Parmeliaceae. It is a large genus, containing an estimated 300 species, with a centre of diversity in subtropical regions of South America and the Pacific Islands.
Members of the genus ...
'' ; ''
Rhizocarpon hensseniae
''Rhizocarpon'' is a genus of crustose, saxicolous (or sometimes lichenicolous), lichens in the family Rhizocarpaceae. The genus is common in arctic-alpine environments, but also occurs throughout temperate, subtropical, and even tropical region ...
'' ; ''
Rimularia hensseniae
''Rimularia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Trapeliaceae. ''Rimularia'' was circumscribed by Finnish botanist William Nylander in 1868.
Species
*'' Rimularia actinostoma''
*'' Rimularia albotessellata''
*'' Rimularia applanata'' ...
'' ; ''
Stephanocyclos henssenianus
''Stephanocyclos'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species ''Stephanocyclos henssenianus''. This crustose lichen was formally described as a new species in 1983 by Germ ...
'' ; and ''
Xanthoparmelia hensseniae
''Xanthoparmelia'' (commonly known as green rock shields or rock-shield lichens) is a genus of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, ''Xanthoparmelia'' is syn ...
'' .
See also
*
:Taxa named by Aino Henssen
References
External links
Biography at lichenology.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henssen, Aino
20th-century German botanists
German lichenologists
1925 births
2011 deaths
Acharius Medal recipients
German people of Finnish descent
20th-century German women scientists
People from Elberfeld
Scientists from Wuppertal
Women lichenologists
German women botanists