Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius

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Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius(17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a Germanbotanistand explorer. Between 1817 and 1820, he travelled 10,000 km through Brazil while collecting botanical specimens. His most important work was a comprehensive flora of Brazil,Flora Brasiliensis,which he initiated in 1840 and was completed posthumously in 1906.

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
Martius in 1850.
Born	17 April 1794 Erlangen,Germany
Died	13 December 1868 (aged 74) Munich,Germany
Scientific career
Fields	Botany, exploration
Author abbrev. (botany)	Mart.

Life

Martius was born atErlangen,the son of ProfErnst Wilhelm Martius,court apothecary.

He graduated PhD fromErlangen Universityin 1814, publishing as his thesis a critical catalogue of plants in the university'sbotanical garden.After that he continued to devote himself to botanical study, and in 1817 he andJohann Baptist von Spixwere sent to Brazil byMaximilian I Joseph,theking of Bavaria.They travelled fromRio de Janeirothrough several of the southern and eastern provinces of Brazil and travelled up theAmazon RivertoTabatinga,as well as exploring some of its larger tributaries.

On his return to Europe in 1820 Martius was appointed as the keeper of the botanic garden atMunich,including theherbariumat theMunich Botanical Collection,and in 1826 as professor of botany in the university there, and he held both offices until 1864. He devoted his chief attention to theflora of Brazil,and in addition to numerous short papers he published theNova Genera et Species Plantarum Brasiliensium(1823–1832, 3 vols.) andIcones selectae Plantarum Cryptogamicarum Brasiliensium(1827), both works being finely illustrated. He is credited for introducing the wordhypotheciumin this latter work, referring to a specific layer of tissue in a lichenfruiting bodythat his extensive microscopical work had revealed.

An account of his travels in Brazil appeared in three volumes between 1823 and 1831, with an atlas of plates, but probably the work by which he is best known is hisHistoria naturalis palmarum(1823–1850) in three large folio volumes,in which all known genera of the palm family are described and illustrated. The work contains more than 240chromolithographs,with habitat sketches and botanical dissections.In 1840 he began theFlora Brasiliensis,with the assistance of the most distinguished European botanists, who undertookmonographsof the various orders. Its publication was continued after his death under the editorship ofA. W. Eichler(1839–1887) until 1887, and subsequently ofIgnatz Urban.At completion, theFloradescribed almost 23,000 plants, of which 5,689 were new to science.He also edited several works on the zoological collections made in Brazil by Spix, after the death of the latter in 1826.In 1837, he was elected a foreign member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

On the outbreak of potato disease in Europe he investigated it and published his observations in 1842. He also published works and short papers on theaborigines of Brazil,on their civil and social condition, on their past and probable future, on their diseases and medicines, and on the languages of the various tribes, especially theTupi.He died atMunich;his gravestone is decorated with two palm fronds and the Latin inscriptionIn palmis semper virens resurgo.

A species of South American snake,Hydrops martii,is named in his honor.TheMartiusstraßein Munich is named after him.

He marriedFranziska von Stengel(1801–1843). His son was German chemist, entrepreneur and company founderCarl Alexander von Martius(1838–1920).

In 2012, botanists Harley & J.F.B.Pastore named a genus offlowering plantsfrom Brazil and Peru, belonging to the familyLamiaceaeasMartianthusin his honour.

His birthday, Apr 17, is International Palm Day, an observance by theInternational Palm Societyto raise awareness of the conservation plight of palms.

Herbarium Martii

Memorial plaque for Martius in Munich, erected 1968 by the State of Brazil.

As well as a huge collection of flora specimens owned by Martius prior to his departure to South America, he returned with another 12,000 specimens which together formed theHerbarium Martii.At the time of his death the collection had been further expanded and comprised 300,000 specimens representing 65,000 species from around the world, and was one of the largest private herbaria assembled. Between 1837 and 1841 Martius published anexsiccata-like serieswith the titleHerbarium florae Brasiliensis. Plantae Brasilienses exsiccatae, quas denominatas, partim diagnosi aut observationibus instructas botanophilis offert Dr. C. Fr. Ph. de Martius.

TheBelgian governmentacquired the collection in 1870 which formed the basis of the then newly establishedJardin botanique de l'Etat.The collection is now held as part of theNational Botanic Garden of Belgium.

The Martius Projectis an effort by the Botanic Garden todigitizethe entire collection.

Route followed in Brazil during 1817–1820 expedition

Travels in Brazil, in the years 1817–1820

Martius and Spix, accompanied byJohann Christian Mikan,his wife and the artistThomas Endertravelled to Brazil with theAustrian Commission,which joined the wedding train ofArchduchess Leopoldina of AustriaandDom Pedro de Alcantara,the futureEmperor of Brazil.The party left fromTriesteon 10 April 1817.

The first natural history collections were made in the city ofRio de JaneiroatLaranjeiras,Corcovado,Aqueduto,Fonte da Carioca,Tijuca,Botafogo,Jardim Botanicoimmediately following the wedding.

Spix and Martius then spent some days at "Fazenda Mandioca" withGrigori Ivanovitch Langsdorffand then went to afazendanearRio Paraibabefore returning to Rio. A mounted expedition took them on horseback toItaguaí(13 December 1817) throughSão Paulo stateto the city ofSão Paulowhere they arrived on 31 December 1817. They left on 9 January 1818 forSorocabaandItuon toMinas Gerais,then throughCamanducaiato cross theRio SapucaíforSão GonçaloandOuro Prêto.On 1 May 1818, they left forDiamantina,Minas Novasand thenMontes Claros.

Route followed by Martius and Spix between 1817 and 1820

On 12 August 1818, they headed North-North East toRio Carinhanha,as far as theSerra Geralthen returned byCodótoCarinhanhaarriving atRio de Contason 17 October 1818, then riding east to cross theRio Paraguaçuarriving atSalvadoron 10 November 1818, and leaving on 18 February 1819 viaCoitandJacobina.The party then travelled toPiauí,Oeiraswhere they arrived on 3 May. They departed on 11 May, arriving on 15 May atSão Gonçalo do Amarante,where Martius became seriously ill. Spix had at this time contracted theschistosomiasisfrom which he eventually died.

On 3 June 1819, they arrived inMaranhãoto replenish funds and supplies. They then sailed down theRio ItapicurutoSão Luisfrom where they left on 20 July forBelém,arriving there on 25 July, having collected specimens at several places in between. They left Belém on 21 August for an Amazon voyage, up theTocantinstoBreves,arriving inGurupáon 9 September andPorto de Mozon theRio Xinguon 10 September. They spent 19 September through 30th inSantarém,arriving atBarra do Rio Negroon 22 October and leaving on 2 November. They reachedTefé,then called Ega, on 26 November, then split up.

Spix left Tefé on 7 December 1819, forSolimõesand visitingTabatingabefore returning toManauson 3 February 1820. He then travelled up theRio Negroto Moura,Barcelosreturning to Manaus on 26 February. Martius left Tefé on 12 December, ascendedRio Japurá,returning to Manaus on 11 March, where they reunited. They departed for Belém arriving on 16 April 1820, and left for Europe on 13 June 1820.

After this journey, Martius and Spix published their account of their travels and work in Brazil. In the appendix, they included a piece of dance music, alundu,the earliest example of this form of music recorded, now namedLundu: Recolhido por C.P.F. von Martius.A performance of this work by Orquestra e Coro Vox Brasiliensis &Ricardo Kanjiis included in their recordingHistória da Música Brasileira – Período Colonial II.

See also

• List of plants of Atlantic Forest vegetation of Brazil
• List of plants of Caatinga vegetation of Brazil
• List of plants of Cerrado vegetation of Brazil
• List of plants of Pantanal vegetation of Brazil

Selected publications

• Versuch einer Monographie der Sennesblätter.Junge, Erlangen 1857 Digital edition by theUniversity and State Library Düsseldorf
• Goethe und Martius.Nemayer, Mittenwald 1932Digital editionby theUniversity and State Library Düsseldorf
• Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von(1835).Conspectus regni vegetabilis: secundum characteres morphologicos praesertim carpicos in classes ordines et familias digesti...(in Latin and German).Nuremberg:Schrag.Retrieved9 January2016.
• — (1824).Nova genera et species plantarum:quas in itinere per Brasiliam MDCCCXVII-MDCCCXX jussu et auspiciis Maximiliani Josephi I., Bavariae regis augustissimi instituto. 3 vols(in Latin). Munich: Lindaueri.

References

• "Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp van (1794-1868)".Global Plants.JSTOR.

Sources

• "Flora Brasiliensis On-Line".The Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental, CRIA (Reference Center on Environmental Information)(in Portuguese and English). 22 March 2006.Retrieved13 March2008.
• "Introdução à Herpetologia do Brasil O contexto científico e político da expedição bávara ao Brasil de Johann Baptist von Spix & Johann Georg Wagler".Imaginario(in Spanish). Archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2007.Retrieved13 March2008.
• "Online database of digitized works".Gallica(in French).Retrieved13 March2008.– click on 'Recherche' link and enter "Martius" as 'Auteur'
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 803.

External links

• Media related toCarl Friedrich Philipp von Martiusat Wikimedia Commons