Frans Hubert Edouard Arthur Walter Robyns

Walter Robyns
Born25 May 1901
Aalst, Belgium
Died27 December 1986(1986-12-27) (aged 85)
NationalityBelgian
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
InstitutionsNational Botanic Garden of Belgium
Author abbrev. (botany)Robyns

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.

Biography

He 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

  • 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

Abbreviation

The standard author abbreviation Robyns is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d BHL Taxonomic literature : a selective guide to botanical publications
  2. ^ IPNI List of botanical taxa described and co-described by Robyns
  3. ^ OCLC WorldCat published works
  4. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Robyns.

Sources

  • 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.