Walter Carl Otto Busse
Walter Carl Otto Busse (1868 – 1933) was a German botanist, whose primary scholarly focus was on German agriculture and the plants, fungi and lichen of Africa.[1]
Walter Carl Otto Busse | |
---|---|
Born | Berlin, Germany | December 7, 1868
Died | December 15, 1933 65) Rome, Italy | (aged
Nationality | German |
Citizenship | German |
Alma mater | University of Freiburg |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Botany |
Institutions | International Institute of Agriculture Imperial Colonial Office |
Author abbrev. (botany) | Busse |
Life
Busse was born in Berlin, Germany on December 7, 1868. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg in 1892. His first posting was in the German Imperial Health Office (Kaiserliche Gesundheitsamt). He then went on to work in the Imperial Biological Institute (Biologische Reichsanstalt) in Dahlem. In 1900 he made a plant collecting expedition to Africa. He then travelled to the Bogor Botanical Gardens (then called the Botanical Gardens in Buitenzorg) in Java to make a study of Cinchona species which have medicinal value as a source of quinine. In 1903 he returned to Africa to make collections in Tanzania, Cameroon and Togo, before returning to Germany in 1905. Following the founding of the Imperial Colonial Office (German: Reichskolonialamt) he transferred to the Department for Agriculture and Forestry. His work on tobacco and alfalfa during this time was notable. In this position he travelled to Central Asia, the Caucasus, Crimea, Turkey and North America. In 1926 he was made Privy Councilor (German: Geheimrat) on agricultural matters for the Weimar Republic to the International Institute of Agriculture in Rome. He retired in 1919.[2][3][4]
Work
During his collecting trips to Africa he was charged with assessing local woody plant species for use in commercial purposes.[5] In addition to the many plant specimens he acquired and described, he was also noted for the photographs he took while collecting.[6]
Legacy
He is the authority for at least 31 taxa including: IPNI. List of plant names with authority Busse.
Several species are named in his honor including:
- Acalypha bussei Hutch.
- Abutilon bussei Gürke ex Ulbr.
- Aloe bussei A.Berger
- Aspilia bussei O.Hoffm. & Muschl.
- Brachystegia bussei Harms
- Diospyros bussei Gürke
- Dissotidendron bussei (Gilg ex Engl.) Ver.-Lib. & G.Kadereit
- Entandrophragma bussei Harms ex Engl.
- Euphorbia bussei Pax
- Excoecaria bussei (Pax) Pax
- Ficus bussei Warb. ex Mildbr. & Burret
- Galium bussei K.Schum. & K.Krause
- Heinsia bussei Verdc.
- Hexalobus bussei Diels
- Indigofera bussei J.B.Gillett
- Maerua bussei (Gilg & Gilg-Ben.) R.Wilczek
- Millettia bussei Harms
- Oliverella bussei (Sprague) Polhill & Wiens
- Philenoptera bussei (Harms) Schrire
- Rhodopentas bussei (K.Krause) Kårehed & B.Bremer
- Rinorea bussei M.Brandt
- Salacia bussei Loes.
- Scilla bussei Dammer
- Tetracera bussei Gilg
- Vachellia bussei (Harms ex Y.Sjöstedt) Kyal. & Boatwr.
References
- "Index of Botanists: Busse, Walter Carl Otto". Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries. n.d. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- "Walter Busse". Der Züchter. 6 (1): 19–19. 1934. doi:10.1007/BF01812266. ISSN 0514-0641.
- "News". Botanical Gazette. 30 (2): 142. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- "Busse, Walter Carl Otto (1865-1933)". JSTOR Global Plants. ITHAKA. n.d. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- Schabel, H. G. (1990). "Tanganyika Forestry Under German Colonial Administration, 1891-1919". Forest & Conservation History. 34 (3): 130–141. doi:10.2307/3983902. ISSN 1046-7009.
- Bessey, C. E. (1906). "Botanical Notes". Science. 24 (626): 868–870. doi:10.1126/science.24.626.868. ISSN 0036-8075.
- IPNI. Busse.