William Nylander Boeken

On January 3, 1822, William Nylander, one of the greatest lichen taxonomists who ever lived, was born in the town of Oulu (Uleéiborg), northern Finland. In accordance with the agreement made in 1878 between Nylander and University of Helsinki, Nylander? s collections and library were shipped from Paris to Finland in 1899. The number of specimens totalled 51066. As a rule Nylander had packeted samples of each species in a common larger envelope which bore the name of the species and, frequently, also the date and journal where original description had been published, especially those of the taxa described by himself. The specimens were usually affixed to stiff paper and the name of the lichen, its locality (few specimens are without any locality), collector, and year of collection are generally appended below. In addition, he commonly indicated the spore measurements in millimeters in the upper right hand cor- ner, and gave simple drawings of several spores or pycnoconidia or, more rarely, a section of an ascocarp.

Edited and prefaced by Teuvo Ahti, Professor of Cryptogamic Botany at the University of Helsinki, this work explores the contributions of William Nylander (1822-1899), a prominent lichenologist. Nylander began his career in Finland but conducted much of his research in Paris, establishing himself as a leading taxonomist who described numerous taxa worldwide, many of which remain in use today. He published lichen floras for regions including Scandinavia, Algeria, Japan, and New Zealand, and initiated a world lichen flora, Synopsis Lichenum, which was never completed. Nylander was a pioneer in integrating chemical reagents into lichen taxonomy, advocating for the identification of species based on their chemical composition—an approach that continues to spark debate among lichenologists. He also recognized the adverse effects of urban air pollution on lichens, laying the groundwork for future studies on this relationship. The biography by Prof. Ahti in the introduction details Nylander's extensive work, which includes over 300 papers, many of which are underrepresented in botanical libraries. This collection, spanning more than 4000 pages, makes Nylander's original papers accessible, providing invaluable resources for taxonomists who need to reference his work and herbarium in Helsinki. Many species and records by Nylander remain unverified by contemporary lichenologists.

Edited and prefaced by Teuvo Ahti, a Professor of Cryptogamic Botany at the University of Helsinki, this work focuses on William Nylander (1822-1899), a preeminent lichenologist. Although he began his career in Finland, Nylander conducted most of his research in Paris, becoming a renowned taxonomist who described numerous taxa globally, many of which remain in use today. He published the first lichen floras for regions including Scandinavia, Algeria, Japan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Colombia, and Tierra del Fuego. Nylander also initiated a world lichen flora, Synopsis Lichenum, which was left incomplete. He pioneered the use of chemical reagents in lichen taxonomy and advocated for identifying distinct lichen species based on their chemical composition, a topic that still sparks debate among lichenologists. Additionally, he was among the first to note the harmful effects of urban air on lichens, laying the groundwork for future studies on air pollution's impact on these organisms. Prof. Ahti's introduction to Nylander's papers provides a comprehensive biography and bibliography, detailing over 300 published works, many of which are scarce in major botanical libraries. The reprinted volumes total over 4000 pages, offering invaluable resources for taxonomists who need to reference Nylander's original papers and herbarium collections in Helsinki. Many of Nylander's species and records remain unverified by contemporar