Hendrik Cornelis Dirk de Wit
Born(1909 -10-24)24 October 1909
Purmerend, The Netherlands
Died16 March 1999(1999-03-16) (aged 89)
Heelsum, The Netherlands
CitizenshipDutch
Alma materUniversity of Amsterdam
Known forstudies on Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra
Scientific career
FieldsPlant taxonomy
InstitutionsWageningen University and Research Centre
Author abbrev. (botany)de Wit
Signature
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Hendrik (Henk) Cornelis Dirk de Wit (24 October 1909 – 16 March 1999) was a Dutch systematic botanist who contributed significantly to the knowledge of the Aroid genera Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra.[1][2] He grew up in the Waterland, a marshy area in the Northwest Netherlands, and had a lifelong interest in aquatic plants.

Career

De Wit studied biology at the University of Amsterdam from 1931-1937.[2] In 1937 he left for Pretoria, South Africa, where he worked as an agricultural research officer with the Department of Agriculture.[3] In 1941 he obtained his Ph.D. with a thesis on the genus Setaria from the grass family (Poaceae).[4] In the same year, he moved to the Dutch East Indies (nowadays Indonesia).[3]

During World War II de Wit worked in the 's Lands Plantentuin te Buitenzorg. After his return to The Netherlands in 1946 he worked for the Flora Malesiana Foundation.[3] De Wit was a gifted teacher[2] and on 20 September 1953[2] he became a lecturer at Leiden University[5] where he taught plant taxonomy and morphology of flowering plants[3] and on 1 November of the same year also at the Wageningen University and Research Centre, where he taught taxonomy and tropical and subtropical plant geography.[2] In 1959 he left Leiden to become full professor in Wageningen[3] and on 15 September 1969 he became the head of the Laboratory of Plant Taxonomy and Plant Geography there.[2] De Wit retired in 1980, at which occasion a Festschrift was published in his honour.[6]

Scientific work

De Wit was especially interested in the Aroid genus Cryptocoryne, as well as the closely related Lagenandra on which he published extensively.[5] In all, he described 21 new species of Cryptocoryne and 6 species of the related genus Lagenandra.[5] A lifelong hobby were freshwater aquaria and in the late 1950s he edited an encyclopaedia for aquarists in 15 volumes, 2 of which (volumes 5 and 6) dealt with aquarium plants and were written by himself.[7] In 1966 these volumes were revised and published together as the first edition of his book Aquariumplanten was published.[8][9] It was translated in English in 1964[10] and in German in 1971.[11][12] After his retirement, he wrote a history of biology (Ontwikkelingsgeschiedenis van de biologie) in three volumes (1982–1989). A popularized version appeared in 1993 (Wat is leven? Een cultuurgeschiedenis van de biologie).

Primitiae Africanae

The first results of research workers in African botanical taxonomy, prepared under supervision of de Wit, were published in a series named Primitiae Africanae. Twelve articles were published in total, in different taxonomic journals.[13]

Eponymous species

Several plant species were named in his honour, such as Begonia bonus-henricus J.J. de Wilde,[14] Crudia dewitii Kostermans,[15] Cryptocoryne dewitii Jacobsen,[16][17][18] Homalium dewitii Kostermans,[19] Bauhinia dewitii K.Larsen & S.S.Larsen,[20] Rinorea dewitii Achound.,[21] and Lagenandra dewitii Crusio et de Graaf.[22]

Major works

  • de Wit, H.C.D. (1982–1989). Ontwikkelingsgeschiedenis van de biologie (in Dutch). Vol. 1, 2a, 2b. Wageningen, The Netherlands: PUDOC, Centrum voor Landbouwpublicaties en Landbouwdocumentatie. pp. xxxiii+1429. ISBN 9022007839.

References

  1. ↑ Bos, J.J. (1999). "In Memoriam Professor Dr. H.C.D. de Wit (1909–1999)". Taxon. 48 (4): 847–848.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bogner, J.; Bastmeijer, J. (2001). "In Memoriam - H.C.D. de Wit (1909–1999)". Aroideana. 24: 3–5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Boelema, G. (1980). "Preface". In Arends J.C., Boelema G.; de Groot C.T.; Leeuwenberg A.J.M. (eds.). Liber Gratulatorius in Honorem H.C.D. de Wit. Miscellaneous Papers Landbouwhogeschool. Vol. 19. Wageningen, The Netherlands: H. Veenman & Zonen BV. pp. 1–2.
  4. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D. (August 1941). "Contributions to the knowledge of the genus Setaria Beauv. in South Africa". Bulletin of Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, Series III. XVII: 87 pp.
  5. 1 2 3 "In memoriam Hendrik Cornelis Dirk de Wit (1909 – 1999)". Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  6. ↑ Arends J.C.; Boelema G.; de Groot C.T.; Leeuwenberg A.J.M., eds. (1980). Liber Gratulatorius in Honorem H.C.D. de Wit. Miscellaneous Papers Landbouwhogeschool. Vol. 19. Wageningen, The Netherlands: H. Veenman & Zonen BV. OCLC 7215638.
  7. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D., ed. (1957–1958). Het Handboek voor de Aquariumhouder. Vol. 1–15. Baarn, The Netherlands: Hollandia.
  8. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D. (1966). Aquariumplanten (1st ed.). Baarn, The Netherlands: Hollandia. p. 360.
  9. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D. (1983). Aquariumplanten (4th ed.). Baarn, The Netherlands: Hollandia. p. 360. ISBN 90-6045-172-4.
  10. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D. (1964). Aquarium Plants. London, UK: Blandford Press. p. 255.
  11. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D. (1971). Aquarienpflanzen (1st ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Eugen Ulmer Verlag. p. 365.
  12. ↑ de Wit, H.C.D. (1990). Aquarienpflanzen (2nd ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Eugen Ulmer Verlag. p. 464. ISBN 978-3-8001-7185-9.
  13. ↑ Crusio, W. (1979). "A revision of Anubias Schott (Araceae). (Primitiae Africanae XII)". Mededelingen Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen. 79 (14): 1–48 (p. 47).
  14. ↑ de Wilde, J.J.F.E.; Arends, J.C. (1980). "Begonia section Squamibegonia Warb. A taxonomic revision". In Arends J.C.; Boelema G.; de Groot C.T.; Leeuwenberg A.J.M. (eds.). Liber Gratulatorius in Honorem H.C.D. de Wit. Miscellaneous Papers Landbouwhogeschool. Vol. 19. Wageningen, The Netherlands: H. Veenman & Zonen BV. pp. 377–421.
  15. ↑ "Crudia dewitii". Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  16. ↑ Jacobsen, Niels (1977). "Cryptocoryne dewitii N. Jacobsen sp.nov. (Araceae)". Botaniska Notiser. 130: 381–382.
  17. ↑ Jan D. Bastmeijer. "Cryptocoryne dewitii". Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  18. ↑ Idei, Takashige (2010). "Der natürliche Standort von Cryptocoryne dewitii N. Jacobsen (Araceae) in Papua Neuguinea". Aqua Planta. 35 (1): 23–38. Archived from the original on 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  19. ↑ Kostermans, A.J.G.H. (1980). "Notes on Ceylonese plants. I". In Arends J.C.; Boelema G.; de Groot C.T.; Leeuwenberg A.J.M. (eds.). Liber Gratulatorius in Honorem H.C.D. de Wit. Miscellaneous Papers Landbouwhogeschool. Vol. 19. Wageningen, The Netherlands: H. Veenman & Zonen BV. pp. 205–230.
  20. ↑ Larsen, K.; Larsen, S.S. (1978). "Bauhinia dewitii, a new Bornean species" (PDF). Gard. Bull. Singapore. 31 (1): 1–3.
  21. ↑ Achoundong, Gaston (2005). "Two Further New Species of Rinorea (Violaceae) from Cameroon". Kew Bull. 60 (4): 581–586. JSTOR 25070244.
  22. ↑ Crusio, W.E.; de Graaf, A. (1986). "Lagenandra dewitii Crusio et de Graaf (Araceae), eine neue Art aus Sri Lanka". Aqua Planta. 11: 56–59.
  23. ↑ International Plant Names Index.  de Wit.
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