Frans Hubert Edouard Arthur Walter Robyns (1901-1986), known as Walter Robyns, was a Belgian botanist. His son, André Robyns (1935–2003), was also a botanist.
Walter Robyns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 May 1901 |
| Died | 27 December 1986 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | National Botanic Garden of Belgium |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Robyns |
Biography
editHe received his doctorate in sciences at the University of Louvain.[1] Robyns spent two long stays at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, travelled in central Africa and performed taxonomic work on many groups of tropical African plants, amongst others: Rubiaceae, grasses and legumes.[2]
From 1931 to 1966 he served as director of the Jardin Botanique National de Belgique (National Botanic Garden of Belgium),[1] where he shaped the transfer of the institute from the site in Brussels to the Bouchout Domain in Meise.
He was the initiator of a monographic flora series for central Africa, still continued today ("Flore d'Afrique centrale"). From 1959 to 1964 he was president of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.[1]
Partial bibliography
edit- Flore agrostologique du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, Bruxelles : Goemaere, 1929-1934 – Agrostologic flora of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi.
- Flore des spermatophytes du Parc national Albert (with Roland Tournay) Bruxelles : Institut des parcs nationaux du Congo belge, 1947-1955 – Spermatophytes from the Albert National Park.
- Les territoires biogéographiques du Parc National Albert, Bruxelles : Institut des parcs nationaux du Congo belge, 1948 – Biogeographic territories of the Albert National Park.
- Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, préparée par le Comité exécutif, Bruxelles : [Jardin botanique de l'État], 1958 – Flora of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi.[3]
Eponymy
edit- Robynsia, family Rubiaceae, name introduced by John Hutchinson (1931).
- Robynsiella, family Amaranthaceae, name introduced by Karl Suessenguth (1938).
- Robynsiochloa, family Poaceae, name introduced by Henri Jacques-Félix (1960).
- Robynsiophyton, family Fabaceae, name introduced by Rudolf Wilczek (1953).[1]
Abbreviation
editReferences
editSources
edit- Diagre-Vanderpelen, D.; Fabri, R.. (2020). "Robyns, Frans, Hubert, Édouard, Arthur, Walter, botaniste, directeur du Jardin botanique de l’État à Bruxelles, professeur à l’Université catholique de Louvain, né à Mielen-boven-Aelst le 25 mai 1901, décédé à Uccle le 27 décembre 1986". Nouvelle Biographie Nationale, Bruxelles. 15: 312-314.
External links
edit- Walter Robyns on the website of the National Botanic Garden of Belgium Archived 2012-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre-Rwanda-Burundi). Spermatophytes at Smithsonian Collections Search Center