Gustav Radde
Encyclopedia
Gustav Ferdinand Richard Radde (27 November 1831 - 2 March 1903) was a German
naturalist
and explorer.
Radde was born in Danzig, the son of a schoolmaster
. He had little formal education, and began a career as an apothecary
. He became increasingly interested in natural history, and in 1852 he gave up his career and spent two years in the Crimea
with the botanist Christian von Steven
, collecting both plants and animals. He made further trips to southern Russia with Johann Friedrich von Brandt
and Karl Ernst von Baer
. He was botanist and zoologist on the East Siberian Expedition of 1855, led by the astronomer Ludwig Schwarz.
In 1864 he eventually settled in Tbilisi
. In the same year he explored the region surrounding Mount Elbrus
, the highest mountain in the Western Palearctic. As well as collecting many plants he recorded the languages, ballads and customs of the local tribes. He set up a museum (the Caucasus Museum) and library in Tbilisi to exhibit his discoveries. His collecting expeditions included visits along the Black Sea
coast and eastwards beyond the Caspian Sea
to Askhabad. In 1895 he sailed to India
and Japan
with the Grand Duke Michael, and two years later he was official naturalist on a visit by members of the Russian Imperial Family to North Africa
.He eventually became a Member of the Council of State
in Tiblisi.
His publications include Ornis Caucasica (1884) and Reisen im Süden von Ost-Sibirien in den Jahren 1855-59 (1862-1863). In 1884 he was honoured with the chairmanship of the first International Ornithological Congress
in Vienna
. He was also an honorary member of the D. O.-G., and a foreign member of the British Ornithologists' Union
and the Zoological Society of London
.
Animal
s named after him include bird
s such as Radde's Warbler
and Radde's Accentor
, and the Radde's Toad, or Siberian (Sand) Toad (Bufo raddei).
Radde was an avid entomologist. His insect (and other) collections are divided: Transbaikal
and Amur
material is in the Zoological Museum of the Russian Academy of Science, Caucasus
and Transcaspian material is in the Georgian National Museum
Zoological Section, Tbilisi.
This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Radde when citing
a botanical name
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and explorer.
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
. He had little formal education, and began a career as an apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
. He became increasingly interested in natural history, and in 1852 he gave up his career and spent two years in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
with the botanist Christian von Steven
Christian von Steven
Christian von Steven was a Ukrainian-Russian botanistand entomologist of Swiss origin....
, collecting both plants and animals. He made further trips to southern Russia with Johann Friedrich von Brandt
Johann Friedrich von Brandt
Johann Friedrich von Brandt was a German naturalist.Brandt was born in Jüterbog and educated at a gymnasium in Wittenberg and the University of Berlin. In 1831 he was appointed director of the Zoological Department at the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences, where he published in Russian...
and Karl Ernst von Baer
Karl Ernst von Baer
Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer, Edler von Huthorn also known in Russia as Karl Maksimovich Baer was an Estonian naturalist, biologist, geologist, meteorologist, geographer, a founding father of embryology, explorer of European Russia and Scandinavia, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a...
. He was botanist and zoologist on the East Siberian Expedition of 1855, led by the astronomer Ludwig Schwarz.
In 1864 he eventually settled in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. In the same year he explored the region surrounding Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
, the highest mountain in the Western Palearctic. As well as collecting many plants he recorded the languages, ballads and customs of the local tribes. He set up a museum (the Caucasus Museum) and library in Tbilisi to exhibit his discoveries. His collecting expeditions included visits along the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast and eastwards beyond the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
to Askhabad. In 1895 he sailed to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with the Grand Duke Michael, and two years later he was official naturalist on a visit by members of the Russian Imperial Family to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.He eventually became a Member of the Council of State
in Tiblisi.
His publications include Ornis Caucasica (1884) and Reisen im Süden von Ost-Sibirien in den Jahren 1855-59 (1862-1863). In 1884 he was honoured with the chairmanship of the first International Ornithological Congress
International Ornithological Congress
The International Ornithological Congress series forms the oldest and largest international series of meetings of ornithologists. It is organised by the International Ornithological Committee, a group of about 200 ornithologists...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He was also an honorary member of the D. O.-G., and a foreign member of the British Ornithologists' Union
British Ornithologists' Union
The British Ornithologists' Union aims to encourage the study of birds in Britain, Europe and elsewhere, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation....
and the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
.
Animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s named after him include bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s such as Radde's Warbler
Radde's Warbler
Radde's Warbler, Phylloscopus schwarzi, is a leaf warbler which breeds in Siberia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in southeast Asia....
and Radde's Accentor
Radde's Accentor
The Radde's Accentor is a species of bird in the Prunellidae family. It is found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and Turkey....
, and the Radde's Toad, or Siberian (Sand) Toad (Bufo raddei).
Radde was an avid entomologist. His insect (and other) collections are divided: Transbaikal
Transbaikal
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
and Amur
Amur
The Amur or Heilong Jiang is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China .-Course:...
material is in the Zoological Museum of the Russian Academy of Science, Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Transcaspian material is in the Georgian National Museum
Georgian National Museum
The Georgian National Museum is a museum network in Georgia that brings together several leading museums from various parts of the country. The Georgian National Museum was established within the framework of structural, institutional and legal reforms aimed at modernizing the management of the...
Zoological Section, Tbilisi.
This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Radde when citing
Author citation (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, author citation refers to citing the person who validly published a botanical name, i.e. who first published the name while fulfilling the formal requirements as specified by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature...
a botanical name
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
.