Gualterio Looser Schallemberg (September 4, 1898,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

– July 22, 1982) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and engineer of

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

parentage. He owned a factory that made agricultural implements. In 1928 Looser joined the

American Fern Society The American Fern Society was founded in 1893. Today, it has more than 1,000 members around the world, with various local chapters. Among its deceased members, perhaps the most famous is Oliver Sacks, who became a member in 1993. Willard N. Clut ...

, and started to publish papers on the

pteridophytes A pteridophyte is a vascular plant (with xylem and phloem) that reproduces by means of spores. Because pteridophytes produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are sometimes referred to as " cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction is h ...

of Chile. His

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, 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 sh ...

containing ca. 8000 specimens was given to

Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

Early life

Born in Santiago, Chile, Gualterio Looser was the son of Swiss father Ulrich Looser and Swiss-French mother Laura Schallemberg, both originally from the Swiss city of Toggenburg. From a young age, he showed a keen interest in natural sciences and began to develop as a naturalist. He collected plants, insects, stones, and other objects that piqued his curiosity. He received his education at the German School of Santiago and later at the

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. On January 3, 1916, he earned a Bachelor of Humanities degree from the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

. Despite his desire to study engineering, Looser worked in his father's industry, a factory producing agricultural spare parts in Santiago, along with his sister Elena. However, he continued to pursue his passion for scientific activities, particularly in ethnology, ethnography, and archaeology. He also created a significant library, comprising volumes on botany, archaeology, and ethnology, which grew rapidly as Looser acquired any books related to science. Looser married Martha Hoffmann and had a son, Leonel Looser Hoffmann.

Scientific career and contribution to the MNHN

In 1922, he joined the School of Advanced Studies, established by the

MNHN The French National Museum of Natural History ( ; abbr. MNHN) is the national natural history museum of France and a of higher education part of Sorbonne University. The main museum, with four galleries, is located in Paris, France, within the ...

for the specialization and training of natural science doctors. Due to his passion and enthusiasm for anthropology, in 1923, he began working as an honorary assistant to Leotardo Matus, Head of the Section of Anthropology, Ethnology, and Archaeology at the Museum. During his time as an assistant, Looser worked on an honorary basis until he was appointed Head of the section in 1926, a position he held until 1931, coinciding with the period in which he began publishing his works in the '' Chilean Journal of Natural History''. Simultaneously, he was a member and founder of many scientific societies, including the Chilean Academy of Natural Sciences, the Chilean Society of History and Geography, the Scientific Society of Valparaíso, the Tree Society, the Chilean Archaeological Society, and the Société de Americanistes de Paris, among other associations like the "American Fern Society," which he joined in 1928. At the MNHN, he collaborated with naturalist Carlos E. Porter, who directed the Journal of Natural History. In 1925, Looser published his first article in this publication. His botanical works were published in the MNHN bulletin; botany was the area in which Looser made his most significant contributions, particularly in the study of

pteridophyte A pteridophyte is a vascular plant (with xylem and phloem) that reproduces by means of spores. Because pteridophytes produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are sometimes referred to as " cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction is ...

s, in which he published more than 80 works. Looser discovered 29 species, along with a subgenus of moss, and amassed a herbarium of over 40,000 plant specimens, which, after his death, was donated to the Aellen Foundation in Switzerland. His botanical observations are detailed in "Botánica miscelánea," a series of publications released between 1928 and 1956. In these publications, Looser's interest in various aspects of botany is evident, from taxonomy to ecology, considering physiological and phytogeographical aspects as well. Gualterio Looser made a considerable contribution to science in Chile, as reflected in the 427 publications he produced during his lifetime as a man of science. He is also regarded as an authority in the field of pteridophyte plants. On February 3, 1943, he was a founding member of the Chilean Folklore Association (currently the Society of Chilean Folklore) alongside individuals like Aureliano Oyarzún Navarro, Ismael Edwards Matte, Domingo Santa Cruz, Oreste Plath, Ricardo Donoso, Raúl Silva Castro, Benedicto Chuaqui, Andrés Sabella, Carlos Lavín, Oscar Cortés, Humberto Grez, Leopoldo Pizarro, Vicente Reyes Covarrubias, Víctor Castro, Gualterio Looser, Luis Gómez Catalán, Alberto Ried, Remigio Acevedo, Carlota Andrée, María Luisa Sepúlveda, Camila Bari de Zañartu, Emilia Garnham, Carlos S. Reed, Sady Zañartu, Juana Risi de Maldini, and María Bichón. Anyone who attended the first meeting was considered a member. In April 1977, the Faculty of Philosophy at the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

awarded him a Doctor of Philosophy degree in recognition of his work in collecting and researching Chilean flora and fauna. In 1979, the Society of Biology of Chile and the

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile; ) is a traditional private university based in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the thirteen Catholic universities existing in Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical univ ...

also honored Gualterio Looser. The university, with which Looser had been associated for over half a century, named him an Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Biological Sciences and awarded him a Medal of Merit for his service as Secretary of the Chilean Academy of Natural Sciences.

Selected works

* 1934: ''Geografía Botánica de Chile'' (Translation of Karl F. Reiche's "Grundzüge der Pflanzenverbreitung in Chile") * 1928: ''Botánica miscelánea.'' ''Revista Univ.'' (Santiago) 13, 523 * 1935: Smith L.B. & Looser G. ''Las especies chilenas del género Puya.'' ''Rev. Univ.'' (Santiago) 20, 241-279. * 1948: ''The ferns of southern Chile.'' ''Amer. Fern J.'' 38, 33-44 * 1955: ''Los helechos (Pteridófitos) de Chile central.'' ''Moliniana'' 1, 5-95 * 1973: ''El botánico chileno Eberhard Kausel.'' ''Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot.'' 15, 137

Plants named in honor of G. Looser

* ''Blechnum chilensis'' var. ''reedii'' (=''B.cordatum''( Desv.) Hieron.) * ''Blechnum fernandezianum'' (Looser) Prada et Rolleri (= ''Blechnum blechnoides'' var ''fernandezianum'') * ''Copiapoa taltalensis'' (= Werderm.) Looser * ''

Cryptocarya alba ''Cryptocarya alba'', the peumo or Chilean acorn, is an evergreen tree that grows in Chile and Argentina from 33 to 40° southern latitude. It can live both in wet and as in dry conditions. Its distribution can reach up to 1500 meters (5000 ...

'' (= Molina) Looser * ''Dicranopteris squamulosa'' var. ''gunckeliana'' (= Desv.) Looser (= Gleichenia squamulosa var. gunckeliana (Looser) Duek) * ''Dennstaedtia glauca'' (= Cav.) C.Chr. ex Looser * ''Garaventia graminifolia'' (= F.Phil.) Looser * ''Laurelia philippiana'' (Looser) (= ''

Laureliopsis philippiana ''Laureliopsis'' is a genus of flowering plants with just one species, ''Laureliopsis philippiana'', known as tepa and wawán, endemic to Chile and the narrow neighboring strip of Argentina (35 to 45°S). In Chile it is found from Maule Region, M ...

'' (Looser)

Schodde Richard Schodde, OAM (born 23 September 1936) is an Australian botanist and ornithologist. Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide, where he received a BSc (Hons) in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSI ...

) * ''Ochagavia carnea'' L.B.Sm. & Looser * ''Polypodium feuillei'' Bertero var. ''ibañezii'' Looser * ''Polystichum chilense'' (=

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

)

Diels Diels is the last name of several people: * Rudolf Diels (1900–1957), German politician * Otto Diels (1876–1954), German scientist noted for his work on the Diels–Alder reaction * Ludwig Diels (1874–1945), German botanist whose standard aut ...

var. ''dusenii'' Looser ex R.A.Rodr.

Honors

Epithets

Several authors have commemorated Looser with specific epithets: * ''Solanum looseri'' (=S. etuberosum Lindl.) by Sergei M. Bukasov * ''Nassauvia looseri'' (

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

) by Ángel L. Cabrera * ''Aloysia looseri'' (

Verbenaceae The Verbenaceae ( ), the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs, and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell. T ...

) by Harold N. Moldenke * ''Amaranthus looseri'' (

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, maki ...

) by

Karl Suessenguth Karl Suessenguth (22 June 1893, Münnerstadt – 7 April 1955, Ischia) was a German botanist. He studied under Karl Ritter von Goebel at the University of Munich, where in 1927 he became a professor of botany. From 1927 to 1955 he was curator of t ...

* ''Astragalus looseri'' (

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

) by Ivan M. Johnston * ''Tropaeolum looseri'' ( Tropaeolaceae) by Benkt Sparre

References

External links

Significado de los nombres genéricos de algunas plantas de la flora chilena

Natural History Museum

Herbarium

His collections were deposited in the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva.

Some taxa described by G Looser

* ''Boldea boldus'' (='' Peumus boldus''). * ''

'' ( Molina) Looser. * ''Laureliopsis philippiana'' (Looser)

as ''

Laurelia ''Laurelia'' is a genus of plant in the major group Angiosperms (flowering plants) in the family Atherospermataceae, or formerly Monimiaceae. It contains only two species, both endemic to the southern hemisphere, an example of Gondwanan distribu ...

''. * ''Sticherus squamulosus'' ( Desv.) Nakai var. ''gunckelianus'' (Looser) R. Rodr. et Ponce as '' Dicranopteris''. 20th-century Chilean botanists Pteridologists Chilean people of Swiss-German descent Scientists from Santiago, Chile 1898 births 1982 deaths People from Santiago, Chile University of Chile alumni Plant collectors Chilean scientists {{chile-botanist-stub