Heinrich Raphael EduardFreiherr von Handel-Mazzetti | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1882-02-19)19 February 1882 |
| Died | 1 February 1940(1940-02-01) (aged 57) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Known for | Studies on Chinese plants |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Hand.-Mazz. |
Heinrich Raphael EduardFreiherr von Handel-Mazzetti (19 February 1882 inVienna – 1 February 1940) was an Austrianbotanist best known for his monograph ofdandelions, many publications on the flora ofChina, and botanical explorations of that country. He was the cousin of novelistEnrica von Handel-Mazzetti (1871-1955).[1]
He studied botany at theUniversity of Vienna, obtaining his doctorate in 1907. From 1905 he served as an assistant at the botanical institute in Vienna. In 1925 he was appointedcurator to the Natural History Museum.
In 1907 he published a world monograph of thegenusTaraxacum (dandelions).[2] Even iftaxonomy of this genus has changed significantly. Handel-Mazzetti's book remains useful, especially because it is the only work of such scope until now.[3]
His earlier research involved scientific excursions toSwitzerland (1906),Bosnia and Herzegovina (1909), followed by an expedition toMesopotamia andKurdistan (1910). On behalf of theAustrian Academy of Sciences, he traveled to China in 1914, performing botanical research in the provinces ofYunnan (1914, 1915, 1916),Sichuan (1914),Guizhou (1917), andHunan (1917, 1918). In China he also undertookcartographic surveys. He returned to Vienna in 1919, and devoted his time and energy to the study of Chinese flora.[4] Starting at that time he distributed more than 12,000 numberedherbarium specimens under the titleIter Sinense 1914-1918 sumptibus Academiae scientarum Vindobonensis susceptum which sometimes are treated as belonging to anexsiccata-like series.[5]
He was the author ofNaturbilder aus Südwest-China : Erlebnisse und Eindrücke eines österreichischen Forschers während des Weltkrieges (1927), later translated into English as "A botanical pioneer in South West China : experiences and impressions of an Austrian botanist during theFirst World War".[6]
There are streets named after Handel-Mazzetti in the Austrian towns ofKremsmünster,St. Pölten,Schwanenstadt,Steyr,Wels andWieselburg as well as the cities ofLinz andVienna.
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