Eric Ragnor Sventenius
Erik Ragnar Sventenius, actually the Latinized form of Erik Ragnar Svensson, first name Eric Ragnor, Erich, or Enrico, ( born October 10, 1910 in Skirö, Sweden, † 1973 in Gran Canaria, Spain) was a Swedish- often wrongly Spanish botanist. He is the founder of the botanical garden Jardin Botanico Canario Viera y Clavijo, Gran Canaria. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Svent. ".
Life and work
Erik Ragnar Svensson was born on 10 October 1910 as a son of Sven Svensson Alfred in the small southern Swedish village Skirö, which belongs to the municipality Vetlanda in the County of Jonkoping County.
After his youth and vocational training in Sweden, he studied botany at various European universities. In Spain, he learns in the Botanical Garden Marimurtra in Blanes, near Barcelona, which had been founded in 1920 by the German Karl Faust as the first botanical garden of Catalonia. There he makes friends with the abbot Mitrado de Montserrat, who was a great plant lover. In 1931 Sventenius to the Canary Islands, where he remained for decades now.
During his stay he scours systematically the rich diversity of flora of each island in search of yet unknown plants. Likewise, he delves intensively for this purpose in the islands over the existing, but geratenen long forgotten, botanical treatises of earlier naturalists.
His goal in life and trade, however, was not to create a botanical garden like in Tenerife for plants from all over the world, but especially for the representation, further research and conservation of the unique endemic flora of the Canary Islands. If possible, all species of the islands should be summarized to facilitate research in one place. In 1943 he visited the existing since 1788 Botanical Garden " Jardin de aclimatación de La Orotava " in Tenerife. He is so fascinated that he scientifically subsequently dealt with the plant population, commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture with the management of the garden since 1952. First, even planned an extension and also earned quite a lot for it. The project failed, however, allegedly because of distrust of the local population.
After representatives of the local government of Gran Canaria know his work, approach him and have placed him more confidence, he starts a second trial and sets from 1952 to its new large botanical garden on Gran Canaria. Sventenius the island had thoroughly searched for the most suitable location, which should correspond to the conditions of life of as many plants. After a long search, he decided on a spectacular location on a steep slope of the Barranco de Guiniguada near Tafira, with waterfalls and natural rock caves. 1959 is the garden, which is now also called just " Jardín Canario ", opened with Sventenius as its first director. He calls him in honor of José Viera y Clavijo, who had tried this 200 years ago, " Viera y Clavijo Jardin Botanico ".
It can be seen there in terraced beds of plants almost all regions of the Canary Islands, with the exception of plants of the highest mountain regions. The locations and the socialization of the plants are, as faithfully as possible the natural site conditions simulated, planted in communities. The garden contains several hundred of these endangered endemic species. In later times, a department of more than 2000 succulents from around the world has been added. The " Jardin Botanico Viera y Clavijo " is, with approximately 5000 different species on 27 hectares the largest and richest botanical garden of Spain.
Sventenius was a corresponding member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, member of the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study ( IOS) in Zurich, as well as a full member of the International Organization of Vegetal Taxonomy in Utrecht, Netherlands.
1973 dies Sventenius, who had now taken Spanish citizenship, in a traffic accident near the Botanical Gardens. His successor in 1974, Dr. David Bramwell.