Armando Theodoro Hunziker

Armando Teodoro Hunziker ( born August 29, 1919 in Chacabuco, † December 12, 2001 in Córdoba) was an Argentine botanist. His special field of interest was the classification of Solanaceae, to which he contributed through his extensive research and publications a great contribution. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Hunz. ".

Life

Armando Hunziker was born in 1919 into a Switzerland -born family. From his aunt he got to know many languages, including German, French, English and Italian.

He studied agricultural science at the University of Buenos Aires, where he met his mentor, Professor Lorenzo Parodi. At the age of 22 years, still without an academic degree, he got the " José Manuel de Altoaguirre Prize" a first award for his work. His thesis he wrote about the kinds of dodder ( Cuscuta ) in Argentina and Uruguay.

1945, at the age of 25, he took over the post of curator at the Botanical Museum of the University of Córdoba. This setting has been enabled him under other by Bernardo Alberto Houssay help of the Nobel laureate. From 1947 to 1982 he held the chair of Professor of Vascular Plants at the University.

With the founding of the National Research Council CONICET 1961, he took on a permanent position as a researcher in this institution, in which he soon rose to the highest ranks and took a place in the Board of Directors from 1991 to 1994. Also in 1961 he founded the Journal Kurtziana into life, for which he acted as editor until 1998.

By awarding of research grants him several visits were made possible abroad. His first research stay abroad led him to Harvard University, where he worked with Professor IW Bailey. 1954 he held a research stay at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (England). 1961 to 1962 and 1979 to 1980, he was able to perform in the United States through grants from the Guggenheim Foundation further research stays.

After Hunziker fired the chair at the University of Córdoba and went into retirement, he was initially from the University of Buenos Aires ( 1981), later also awarded by the University of Córdoba honorary professorship.

As Hunziker 1999 learned that he is suffering from cancer, he ended all ongoing projects in order to work on his book Genera Solanacearum: focus The Genera of Solanaceae Illustrated, Arranged According to a new system in which he his almost lifelong work summarized to the family Solanaceae. The book was completed and published shortly before his death.

Research

He has published over 150 scientific papers and created the first descriptions of a large number of plant species.

Plants naming in honor Hunziker

To appreciate the work Hunziker, a number of new taxa named by different authors after him. These include the genus Hunzikeria D' Arcy (Solanaceae ), and the species Capsicum hunzikerianum Barboza & Bianchetti, Euphorbia hunzikeri Subils, Jaltomata hunzikeri Mione, Justicia hunzikeri Ariza, Larnax hunzikeriana Benitez & Martinez, Lycium hunzikeri FA Barkley, Melica hunzikeri Nicora, Physalis hunzikeriana Martinez, Sclerophylax hunzikeri Di Fulvio, Setaria hunzikeri Anton, Stipa hunzikeri Caro and Hysterionica aberrans - variety hunzikeri Ariza.

Swell

• Ana M. Anton: Armando T. Hunziker (1919 - 2001). In: . Taxon, Volume 51, May 2002 pages 393-403.
• Armando T. Hunziker: The Genera of Solanaceae. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag KG, Ruggell, Liechtenstein 2001. ISBN 3-904144-77-4.
• Juan H. Hunziker: Some historical aspects of plant cytogenetics in Argentina and Uruguay (PDF, 48 kB). In: Genetics and Molecular Biology. Volume 23, number 4, 2000. Pages 917-920.
• Kenneth R. Robertson ( editor): In Memoriam. In: ASPT Newsletter. Volume 16, Number 1, July 2002.