Lars Johan Laurentius Johannes Prytz, Demonstator in Botany at Imperial Åbo Academy

Authors

• Henry Väre University of Helsinki, Finnish Museum of Natural History (Botany)

Abstract

Lars Johan Prytz was the Demonstrator in Botany (1813–1820) at the Imperial Academy of Åbo, Russia (Finland today). His main duty was to instruct medical students on the subject of medicinal plants. In his own thesis De Styrace supervised by Professor Carl Peter Thunberg presented known species of Styrax. Prytz supervised 15 doctoral theses, of which eleven have botanical content and three provided important historical information of Åbo Akademi Botanical Gardens. He aimed to complete a brief Flora Fennica, but it was never finished. In six published parts 277 species in 123 genera are characterized. Later one unpublished manuscript was edited by Hj. Hjelt. Consequently, the total number of species presented is 314 in 136 genera. Monocotyledons and ferns were not included. All in all, Prytz announced ca. 15 new plants to Finland.