Franz Petrak (9 October 1886, Mährisch-Weißkirchen – 9 October 1973,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) was an Austrian-Czech mycologist. From 1906 to 1910, he studied

botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "bot ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich h ...

, where he was a student of Richard Wettstein. In 1913 he obtained his doctorate of sciences, and until 1916, worked as a high school teacher in Vienna. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he was stationed in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

and

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

, where he collected specimens in his spare time. From 1918 to 1938, he worked as a private scientist in his home town, and from 1938 to 1951, was associated with the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. He was the author of nearly 500 published works, primarily in the field of mycology. Much of his mycological work was published in the journal ''Annales mycologici'' and its successor '' Sydowia''. Reportedly, his private

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (calle ...

contained 100,000 specimens. As a

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

, he described numerous species within the genus '' Cirsium'' (family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

). The mycological genera of; '' Petrakia'' (family Pseudodidymellaceae), '' Petrakiella'' ( Phyllachoraceae), '' Franzpetrakia'' ( Ustilaginaceae), '' Petrakiopeltis'' ( Microthyriaceae), '' Petrakiopsis'' (

Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The de ...

) and '' Petrakina'' (family Asterinaceae) have all been named in his honor, the latter genus being circumscribed by

Raffaele Ciferri Raffaele Ciferri (30 May 1897, Fermo – 12 February 1964, Pavia) was an Italian botanist, agriculturalist and mycologist. He studied agricultural sciences at the University of Bologna. From 1925 to 1932, he was based in the Dominican Republ ...

in 1932. Franz Petrak died 9 October 1973 in Vienna.

Selected works

* ''Die nordamerikanischen Arten der Gattung Cirsium'', 1917. * ''Die Gattungen der Pyrenomyzeten, Sphaeropsideen und Melanconiee'', 1926. * ''Die phaeosporen Shaeropsideen und die Gattung Macrophoma'', 1926. * "Index of fungi. Petrak's lists, 1920-1939". Cumulative index by the

Commonwealth Mycological Institute A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...

(Great Britain), 1956. * "Index of fungi : list of new species and varieties of fungi, new combinations and new names published 1920-1939", 1957. * "Index of fungi: a supplement to Petrak's lists, 1920-1939". By the Commonwealth Mycological Institute (Great Britain), 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrak, Franz 1886 births 1973 deaths Austrian mycologists Austro-Hungarian educators Czech mycologists People from Hranice (Přerov District) Phytopathologists University of Vienna alumni Austrian people of Moravian-German descent

Selected works

See also

References