Victor Dmitrievich Zotov (16 September 1908 – 26 May 1977) was a New Zealand

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 ...

. Zotov was born in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and in 1924, together with his parents, immigrated to New Zealand, after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. He attended

Feilding Agricultural High School "Have Courage, Desire Greatly" , coordinates = , type = State Co-Ed Secondary School (Year 9–13) with boarding facilities , established = 1921 as Feilding Technical High School , MOE = 197 , principal = Nathan Stewart , ...

from 1925 to 1927, where he was taught by H.H.Allan, with whom he went to work in 1928 (having written his first scientific paper) at the Plant Research Station in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

. In 1936 this became the Plant Research Bureau within the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development. * Department of Scientific and Industria ...

, and he continued working in the Botany Division of this organisation until his retirement in 1968. Zotov's primary research interest was in New Zealand grasses, writing papers on

canary grass Canary grass is a plant, ''Phalaris canariensis'', belonging to the family Poaceae. Originally a native of the Mediterranean region, it is now grown commercially in several parts of the world for birdseed. Description ''Phalaris canariensis' ...

es,

Arundinoideae The Arundinoideae are a subfamily of the true grass family Poaceae with around 40 species, including giant reed and common reed. Unlike many other members of the PACMAD clade of grasses, the Arundinoideae all use C3 photosynthesis. Their sister ...

and especially

Gramineae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

. He was also interested in the vegetation of the

Tararua Range The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand. The Tararua Range runs northeast–southwest for from near Palmerston North to the upper reaches of ...

s where he enjoyed

tramping Tramping may refer to: Travel *Hiking *Trekking *Tramping in New Zealand, a style of backpacking or hiking * Czech tramping, a Czech outdoors pastime Places * Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380, Saskatchewan, Canada ** Tramping Lake, Sas ...

, and additionally published on

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

Selected publications

* (1928) Observations and experiments on the suckling clover content of the pastures on the school farm. Feilding Agricultural College Bulletin 7: 9-11 *
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Some published names

* '' Chionochloa flavescens'' Zotov, New Zealand J. Bot. i. 97 (1963). * ''

Chionochloa antarctica ''Chionochloa antarctica'' (common name - snow tussock) is a species of grass, endemic to the Auckland and Campbell Islands. Description It flowers from October to December and fruits from November to March. Conservation status In both 2009 an ...

'' (Hook.f.) Zotov, New Zealand J. Bot. i. 99 (1963). * '' Erythranthera'' Zotov, New Zealand J. Bot. i. 124 (1963) (accepted name ''

Rytidosperma ''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile + Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii + Easter Island).

Steud. Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel (30 May 1783 – 12 May 1856) was a German physician and an authority on grasses. Biography Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel was born at Esslingen am Neckar in Baden-Württemberg. He was educated at the University of Tübi ...

) * ''Notodanthonia'' Zotov, New Zealand J. Bot. i. 104 (1963) (accepted name ''

) * ''

Lachnagrostis lyallii ''Lachnagrostis'' is a genus of African, Australian, Pacific Island, and South American plants in the grass family. They are often treated as members of genus '' Agrostis''. ; SpeciesRúgolo de Agrasar, Z. & A. M. Molina. 2002. El género ''La ...

'' (Hook.f.) Zotov, in Rec. Domin. Mus., N. Zeal. v. 142 (1965).

References

External links

Victor Zotov (photo Te Ara)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zotov, Victor Dmitrievich 1908 births 1977 deaths 20th-century New Zealand botanists People from Feilding Soviet emigrants to New Zealand