was a Japanese
botanist noted for his
taxonomic work in Japan and
Formosa, present day Taiwan.
Early life
Hayata was born to a devout
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
family in
Kamo, Niigata on December 2, 1874. When he was 16, Hayata became interested in botany, and he joined the Botanical Society of Tokyo in 1892. His schooling was delayed by a series of family tragedies, and he graduated middle school at the age of 23. He then attended high school and began to collect botanical samples.
[Ohashi, Hiroyoshi (2009). ]
Bunzo Hayata and His Contributions to the Flora of Taiwan
' Taiwania, 54(1): 1-27
Hayata enrolled in the botany program at the
Imperial University of Tokyo in 1900. He graduated in 1903, and entered the graduate program under
Jinzō Matsumura. He was appointed assistant at the
Koishikawa Botanical Gardens in 1904. In 1907, he completed his
Doctor of Sciences
Doctor of Sciences ( rus, доктор наук, p=ˈdoktər nɐˈuk, abbreviated д-р наук or д. н.; uk, доктор наук; bg, доктор на науките; be, доктар навук) is a higher doctoral degree in the Russi ...
degree.
Career
In 1908, Hayata was promoted to lecturer in the Department of Botany at the Imperial University of Tokyo. Hayata undertook a botanical expedition to
Tonkin
Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includ ...
in 1917, and was promoted to Associate Professor of the University of Tokyo in 1919. In 1922, he was promoted to a full professorship as the third Professor of Systematic Botany at the University of Tokyo after the departure of Matsumura. He was appointed director of the botanical garden in 1924. He retired in 1930, and he died in 1934 at the age of 59.
[
]
Legacy
Hayata described a total of over 1,600 different taxa, most of which are from Taiwan, but also include plants from Japan, China and Vietnam. From a list of Taiwanese plants currently recognized in the flora of Taiwan in 2003, 549 species, or 14% of Taiwan's flora, were described by Hayata. One example is the species '' Taiwania cryptomerioides'', which Hayata himself saw the discovery of.
Awards
In 1920, the Imperial Academy of Japan awarded Hayata the Prince Katsura Commemoration Prize for his contribution to the flora of Formosa.[
]
Selected publications
Hayata's publications cover a period of more than 30 years, during which he authored more than 150 scientific articles and books.
* 1906: ''On Taiwania, a new genus of Coniferae from the island of Formosa''. In: ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society''. Vol. 37, pp. 330–331.
* 1908: ''Flora Montana Formosae. An enumeration of the plants found on Mt. Morrison, the central chain, and other mountainous regions of Formosa at altitudes of 3,000-13,000 ft.'' In: ''J. Coll. Sci.'' Imperial Univ. Tokyo, Vol. 25, pp. 1–260.
* 1911:
Materials for a Flora of Formosa
'. In: ''J. Coll. Sci.'' Imperial Univ. Tokyo, Vol. 30, pp. 1–471.
* 1911–1921:
Icones Plantarum Formosanarum
'. 10 Volumes. Bureau of Productive Industries, Government of Formosa, Taihoku, Taiwan.
* 1921: ''The Natural Classification of Plants according to the Dynamic System''. In: ''Icones Plantarum Formosanarum''. Vol. 10, pp. 97–234.
* 1931: ''Über das "Dynamische System“ der Pflanzen''. In: ''Berichte der Deutschen botanischen Gesellschaft''. Vol. 49, pp. 328–348.
External links
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayata, Bunzo
20th-century Japanese botanists
Botanists active in Japan
1874 births
1934 deaths
19th-century Japanese botanists
Japanese taxonomists