Dow Vauter Baxter (January 16, 1895 – December 31, 1965) was an American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

. He was an authority on

wood-decay fungi A wood-decay or xylophagous fungus is any species of fungus that digests moist wood, causing it to rot. Some species of wood-decay fungi attack dead wood, such as ''Serpula lacrymans'', and some, such as ''Armillaria'' (honey fungus), are paras ...

, especially the

polypore Polypores, also called bracket or shelf fungi, are a morphological group of basidiomycete-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi that form large fruiting bodies called conks, which are typically woody, circular, shelf- or bracket-shaped, ...

s. Baxter was a professor of

forest pathology Forest pathology is the research of both biotic and abiotic maladies affecting the health of a forest ecosystem, primarily fungal pathogens and their insect vectors. It is a subfield of forestry and plant pathology. Forest pathology is part ...

at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he started employment in 1926. The fungus '' Rhizopogon baxteri'' was named in Baxter's honor. He also published an illustrated account of fieldwork with two colleagues to study Alaskan forests and forest diseases.

References

American mycologists 1895 births 1965 deaths University of Michigan faculty {{Mycologist-stub

See also

References