William Nylander's collected lichenological papers 2

Meer over het boek

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