Eduard Palla (3 September 1864 – 7 March 1922) was an Austrian
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 ...
and
mycologist
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...
of
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
n descent. As a botanist he specialized in research of
Cyperaceae
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
(
sedges
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...
), of which he was the
taxonomic authority
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
of many species.
From 1883 to 1887 he studied
natural sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
, receiving his doctorate with a dissertation on the
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
and
systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...
of
Cyperaceae
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
. Following graduation he worked as an assistant to
Gottlieb Haberlandt
Gottlieb Haberlandt (28 November 1854 – 30 January 1945) was an Austrian botanist. He was the son of European 'soybean' pioneer Professor Friedrich J. Haberlandt. His son Ludwig Haberlandt was an early reproductive physiologist now given credit ...
at the
University of Graz
The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria.
History
The unive ...
, where in 1891 he obtained his habilitation in botany. In 1900–01 he conducted investigations of sedges and tropical fungi on
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
and
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
of the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
. In 1909 he became an associate professor at Graz, followed by a full professorship in 1913.
Selected works
* ''Atlas der Alpenflora'' (with
Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre
Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre (14 July 1850 – 6 April 1928) was an Austrian taxonomist, entomologist and botanist.
Dalla Torre was born in Kitzbühel, Tyrol. He studied natural sciences at the University of Innsbruck. He then worked in the ...
and
Anton Hartinger), II, new edition, 1897 – Atlas of
Alpine flora Alpine flora may refer to:
* Alpine tundra, a community of plants that live at high altitude
* Alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in an alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. There are many different pl ...
.
* ''Ueber die gattung Phyllactinia'', 1899 – On the genus ''
Phyllactinia
''Phyllactinia'' is a genus of fungi in the family Erysiphaceae. The type species is Phyllactinia suffulta. Species in this genus are plant pathogens, causing powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plant ...
''.
* ''Zur kenntniss der Pilobolus-arten'', 1900 - On research of ''
Pilobolus
''Pilobolus'' is a genus of fungi that commonly grows on herbivore dung.
Life cycle
The life cycle of ''Pilobolus'' begins with a black sporangium that has been discharged onto a plant substrate such as grass. A herbivorous animal such as a ho ...
''.
* ''Die Gattungen der mitteleuropäischen Scirpoideen'', 1900 – The genera of mid-European
Scirpoideae.
* ''Cyperaceae'' 1906.
* ''Neue Cyperaceen'', 1909 – New Cyperaceae.
WorldCat Identities
Most widely held works by Eduard Palla
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palla, Eduard
1864 births
1922 deaths
Academics of the University of Graz
19th-century Austrian botanists
Austrian mycologists
People from Kroměříž
20th-century Austrian botanists