Yo Takenaka (竹中 要 Takenaka Yō, 1903–1966) was a Japanese
plant geneticist A plant geneticist is a scientist involved with the study of genetics in botany. Typical work is done with genes in order to isolate and then develop certain plant traits. Once a certain trait, such as plant height, fruit sweetness, or tolerance to ...
and a Professor of Department of Cell Genetics,
National Institute of Genetics
The National Institute of Genetics ("Japanese Institute of Genetics") is a Japanese institution founded in 1949.
It hosts the DNA Data Bank of Japan
The DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) is a biological database that collects DNA sequences. It is ...
. He is notable for researching the
phylogenetic classification
Phylogenetic nomenclature is a method of nomenclature for taxa in biology that uses phylogenetic definitions for taxon names as explained below. This contrasts with the traditional approach, in which taxon names are defined by a '' type'', which ...
of
cherry blossom
A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...
. He discovered that ''
Prunus × yedoensis
''Prunus'' × ''yedoensis'' (synonym ''Cerasus'' × ''yedoensis'') is a hybrid cherry tree between ''Prunus speciosa'' (''Oshima cherry'') as father plant and ''Prunus pendula'' f. ''ascendens'' (syn. ''Prunus itosakura'', ''Prunus subhirte ...
'' is a crossbreed of two wild species of Japanese cherry; ''Prunus spachiana'' forma ''ascendens'' (Edo higan) and ''
Prunus speciosa
''Prunus speciosa'', the Oshima cherry, Japanese オオシマザクラ (Oshima zakura), is native to Izu Ōshima island and the Izu Peninsula on Honshū near Tokyo, Japan.Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'' 8th ed. ...
'' (Oshima zakura) by crossing experiments. He was also known as a researcher on
Japanese morning glory
''Ipomoea nil'' is a species of ''Ipomoea'' morning glory known by several common names, including picotee morning glory, ivy morning glory, and Japanese morning glory (although it is not native to Japan). It is native to the tropical Americas, a ...
and
Nicotiana
''Nicotiana'' () is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs in the Family (biology), family Solanaceae, that is Native plant, indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa and the South Pacific. Various ''Nicotiana'' species, common ...
.
Career
He was born in
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...
, Japan in 1903. He graduated from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science,
Tokyo Imperial University
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
in 1927. He was a Professor of
Keijō Imperial University
, colloquially referred to as , was an Imperial University of Japan that existed between 1924 and 1946. This university was established in 1924 in Gyeongseong, known as Keijō during the period of Japanese occupation of Korea, now modern-day S ...
from 1929 to 1945. After the end of war, he became a Professor of
National Institute of Genetics
The National Institute of Genetics ("Japanese Institute of Genetics") is a Japanese institution founded in 1949.
It hosts the DNA Data Bank of Japan
The DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) is a biological database that collects DNA sequences. It is ...
in 1949. He died on 18 March 1966 at the age of 62.
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Works
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See also
* Jeju flowering cherry
References
External links
Home page of National Institute of Genetics
20th-century Japanese botanists
1903 births
1966 deaths
{{Japan-botanist-stub