Armando Theodoro Hunziker (August 29, 1919 in
Chacabuco, Argentina – December 12, 2001 in
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province a ...
) was an
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
. He had specialized in the study of
systems biology
Systems biology is the computational modeling, computational and mathematical analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. It is a biology-based interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological syst ...
of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Solanaceae
The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...
, having contributed with a large number of investigations and publications.
Biography
He was born to a
Swiss Argentine
Swiss Argentines are Argentine citizens of Swiss ancestry or people who emigrated from Switzerland and reside in Argentina. The Swiss Argentine community is the largest group of the Swiss diaspora in South America.
Approximately 44,000 Swiss emig ...
family. An aunt taught him
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. He studied
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...
at the
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one o ...
, where he met his mentor, Prof.
Lorenzo R. Parodi, who supervised his graduate thesis about the genus ''
Cuscuta
''Cuscuta'' (), commonly known as dodder or amarbel, is a genus of over 201 species of yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, it now is accepted as belonging in the ...
'', a parasite that affects wild and cultivated plants in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. At the age of 22, he received the first prize for his work ("Premio José Manuel de Altoaguirre") and one year later he received another prize ("Premio Eduardo Holmberg").
In 1945, at the age of 25, he was nominated
curator
A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...
of the Botanical Museum of the
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina.
Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...
, recommended by the
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winner in Medicine
Bernardo Alberto Houssay. Between 1949 and 1982 he was a professor in this university, having achieved the title of honored professor. In 1957 he received a prize from the National Commission for Culture for regional scientific production; in 1968 he received the "Weissmann Prize" and in 1983 the "Konex de Platino" prize.
He participated in the creation of the
National Scientific and Technical Research Council
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
where he worked as science and technology researcher, from 1963, as a member of the administration council in 1994 and as a senior researcher from 1998.
In 1961 he founded the ''Kurtziana'' journal, of which he remained the editor until 1998.
He worked abroad for several years. Between 1947 and 1954 at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, he performed research with
Irving Widmer Bailey
Irving Widmer Bailey (August 15, 1884 – May 16, 1967) was an American botanist known for his work in plant anatomy.
Early life and education
Bailey was born in 1884, in Tilton, New Hampshire to Ruth Pouter Bailey and Solon Irving Bailey. His f ...
. In 1954 he worked under sponsorship of the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
in the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
, England. From 1961 to 1962 and again from 1979 to 1980 he performed research in the United States, under sponsorship of the
Guggenheim Foundation.
In 1999 he was diagnosed with
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
and suspended all his other projects, in order to dedicate himself to his main work, the book ''Genera Solanacearum: The Genera of Solanaceae Illustrated, Arranged According to a New System'', which he managed to publish shortly before his death.
During his life he published more than 150 scientific papers and described a great number of plant
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
. Including ''
Orchis kellerii
''Orchis'' is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), occurring mainly in Europe and Northwest Africa, and ranging as far as Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The name is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις ''orchis'', meaning "testicle", from t ...
'' , and ''
Capsicum eximium
''Capsicum eximium'' is a member of the genus ''Capsicum'' with 2n=2x=24, and native to the New World, specifically the Andean region of South America. It is one of the "purple-flowered" ''Capsicums'' along with '' Capsicum cardenasii'' and ''Cap ...
'' .
One plant genus, ''
Hunzikeria
''Hunzikeria'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae.
Its native range is Mexico and Venezuela.
The genus name of ''Hunzikeria'' is in honour of Armando Theodoro Hunziker (1919–2001), an Argentine botanist. He had s ...
'' (in the family Solanaceae),
also 11 species and one subspecies have been named in his honour.
Sources
* Anton, Ana M. 2002. "Armando T. Hunziker (1919 − 2001)"; ''Taxon'' 51: 393-403.
* Hunziker, Armando T. 2001. ''The Genera of Solanaceae.'' A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G., Ruggell, Liechtenstein. .
External links
Premios Konex
* Anton A.M. & G.E. Barboz
Armando Theodoro Hunziker''Acta Horticulturae'', ISHS
* Hunziker Juan H. 2000
Some historical aspects of plant cytogenetics in Argentina and Uruguay''Genetics and Molecular Biology'' 23 (4): 917-920.
* Robertson Kenneth R.(Editor) 2000. "In Memoriam"
'.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunziker, Armando
1919 births
2001 deaths
Harvard University staff
Argentine scientists
Argentine people of Swiss-German descent