Ferdinand Albin Pax (26 July 1858 – 1 March 1942) was a German botanist specializing in

spermatophyte A spermatophyte (; ), also known as phanerogam (taxon Phanerogamae) or phaenogam (taxon Phaenogamae), is any plant that produces seeds, hence the alternative name seed plant. Spermatophytes are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants. They inc ...

s. A collaborator of

Adolf Engler Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler (25 March 1844 – 10 October 1930) was a German botanist. He is notable for his work on plant taxonomy and phytogeography, such as ''Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien'' (''The Natural Plant Families''), edited with ...

, he wrote several monographs and described several species of plants and animals from Silesia and the Carpathians. He was a professor at Wrocław University from 1893. His son

Ferdinand Albert Pax Ferdinand Albert Pax (30 December 1885 – 11 September 1964) was a German zoologist who worked at the University of Wroclaw. He was the author of a monograph on the Hexacorallia in the series edited by Willy Kükenthal. Pax was born in Breslau to ...

(1885–1964) was a noted zoologist.

Life and work

Pax was born on 26 July 1858 in

Dvůr Králové nad Labem Dvůr Králové nad Labem (, german: Königinhof an der Elbe) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It lies in the Elbe river valley. Dvůr Králové nad Labem is kno ...

, in what was then known as Bohemia, to Carl Ferdinand, a mine superintendent in Schatzlar, and Elisabeth Haas (died 1861). He graduated from the Kamienna Góra gymnasium and joined the University of Wrocław. He received a PhD in 1882 studying under Heinrich Göppert and moved to Kiel and habilitated in 1886 for studies on the Cyperaceae. He served as an assistant at the Botanical Garden and moved to Berlin in 1889 where he worked with

. In 1893 he became the chair of botany at Wrocław. He became a professor of

botany 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 w ...

and

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

at the

University of Wrocław , ''Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'' (before 1945) , free_label = Specialty programs , free = , colors = Blue , website uni.wroc.pl The University of Wrocław ( pl, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, U ...

. Pax was a specialist on the plants in the families ''Primulaceae'', ''Euphorbiaceae'' and ''Aceraceae.'' He was married to Marie Serbin and they had a son Ferdinand Albert Pax, who became a zoologist and specialist on corals. Pax died on 1 March 1942 in Wroclaw, which at the time was part of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

and was buried at Ślężna. Gradina Botanica IV

Selected publications

The following are just two among numerous papers and monographs. He was one of the most prolific collaborators of Adolf Engler. A more complete list can be found in Stafleu & Cowan (1983). He described a number of plant species. * , in * , in Plant genera that have been named after Pax include ''Neopaxia'', ''Paxia'', ''Paxiodendron'', ''Paxina'' and ''Paxiuscula''. Taxa named by him (along with others like Engler) include ''

Acalypha ''Acalypha'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. It is one of the largest euphorb genera, with approximately 450 to 462 species. The genus name ''Acalypha'' is from the ...

'', ''

Acidoton ''Acidoton'' is a genus of plant of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1788. It is native to the Greater Antilles, Central America, and tropical South America.Fuentes, A.F., Miranda, T., Araujo-Murakami, A., Cayola, L. Maci ...

'', ''

Adenochlaena ''Adenochlaena'' is a genus of plant of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1858. It is native to certain islands in the Indian Ocean.Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of ...

'', '' Annesijoa novoguineensis'', '' Argomuellera'', '' Blachia'', ''

Cephalocrotonopsis ''Cephalocrotonopsis'' is a genus of plant of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1910. It contains only one known species, ''Cephalocrotonopsis socotranus'', endemic to the Socotra Islands in the Indian Ocean, part of the Repu ...

'', ''

Chonocentrum ''Chonocentrum'' is a genus of the family Phyllanthaceae described as a genus in 1922. It contains only known species, ''Chonocentrum cyathophorum'', native to the State of Amazonas in northwestern Brazil. The genus is still not well understoo ...

'', ''

Cladogynos orientalis ''Cladogynos'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Euphorbiaceae, first described as a genus in 1841. It contains only one known species, ''Cladogynos orientalis'', native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philip ...

'', '' Cleistanthus'', ''

Conceveiba ''Conceveiba'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, first described as a genus in 1775. It is native to South America and Central America.De S.Secco, R. (2004). Alchorneae (Euphorbiaceae) ''(Alchornea, Aparisthmium ''e'' Conceveiba).'' F ...

'', ''

Crotonogynopsis ''Crotonogynopsis'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1899. It is native to tropical Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At a ...

'', ''

Deuteromallotus ''Deuteromallotus'' is a Malagasy genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus i ...

'', ''

Discoclaoxylon ''Discoclaoxylon'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, first described in 1914. It is native to western and central Africa, including islands in the Gulf of Guinea.Barberá, P., Velayos, M. & Aedo, C. (2013). Annotated checklist and ide ...

'', ''

Emblingiaceae ''Emblingia'' is a monospecific plant genus containing the species ''Emblingia calceoliflora'', a herbaceous prostrate subshrub endemic to Western Australia. It has no close relatives, and is now generally placed alone in family Emblingiaceae. D ...

'', ''

Erythrococca ''Erythrococca'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, first described in 1849. It is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Ar ...

'', ''

Haematostemon ''Haematostemon'' is a genus of plant of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1919. It is native to northeastern South America (Guyana and S Venezuela).Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flo ...

'', ''

Hippeastrum ''Hippeastrum'' () is a genus of about 90 species and over 600 hybrids and cultivars of perennial herbaceous bulbous plants. They generally have large fleshy bulbs and tall broad leaves, generally evergreen, and large red or purple flowers. ...

'', ''

Jatropha ''Jatropha'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἰατρός (''iatros''), meaning "physician", and τροφή (''trophe''), meaning "nutrition", hence the common name ...

'', ''

Lingelsheimia ''Lingelsheimia'' is a plant genus in the family (biology), families Phyllanthaceae (and previously placed in the family Putranjivaceae), first described as a genus in 1909. It is native to central Africa and Madagascar.Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G ...

'', '' Mareyopsis'', '' Mildbraedia'', '' Monadenium'', '' Necepsia'', ''

Neoscortechinia ''Neoscortechinia'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1897. It is native to Southeast Asia and Papuasia.Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorb ...

'', '' Neotrewia cumingii'', '' Octospermum pleiogynum'', '' Pachystylidium hirsutum'', ''

Petalodiscus ''Wielandia'' is a genus of flowering plant, of the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1858. The plants are native to Kenya, Madagascar, and to various other islands in the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest ...

'', '' Plukenetia'', ''

Pseudagrostistachys ''Pseudagrostistachys'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1912. It is native to tropical Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. ...

'', Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia, ''

Ptychopyxis ''Ptychopyxis'' is a genus of plant of the family Euphorbiaceae first described in 1861. It is native to Southeast Asia and New Guinea.Stoops, E. & van Welzen, P.C. (2013). A revision of ''Ptychopyxis'' (Euphorbiaceae) in southeast Asia. Nordic J ...

'', '' Romanoa'', ''

Sphaerostylis ''Sphaerostylis'' is a genus of plant of the family (biology), family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1858. The entire genus is endemic to Madagascar.Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliog ...

'', '' Tetraplandra'', '' Thecacoris'', and '' Zimmermannia''.

References

External links

Index of Botanists - Pax, Ferdinand Albin
from the Harvard University Herbaria {{DEFAULTSORT:Pax, Ferdinand Albin 1858 births 1942 deaths 20th-century German botanists 19th-century German botanists People from Dvůr Králové nad Labem German Bohemian people Members of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina University of Breslau faculty