Karl von Zois
Encyclopedia
Karl von Zois zu Laibach (1756–1800) was an Austria
n amateur botanist and plant collector. Von Zois, described as a "country gentleman", lived in the Carniola
region of Austria. He is best known today as the namesake of zoysia
grass, which was named by Carl Ludwig Willdenow
in 1801.
The Zois family was of Lombard
origin; Karl's father was Michelangelo Zois (1694–1777), a merchant who married a Carniolan noblewoman, and was nobilitated in 1739. The family was based in Ljubljana
. His brother was natural scientist and patron of the arts Sigmund Zois.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n amateur botanist and plant collector. Von Zois, described as a "country gentleman", lived in the Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
region of Austria. He is best known today as the namesake of zoysia
Zoysia
Zoysia is a genus of creeping grasses native to southeast and east Asia and Australasia. These species, commonly called zoysia or zoysiagrass, are found in coastal areas or grasslands. The genus is named after the Austrian botanist Karl von Zois.-Species:*Zoysia japonica Steud.*Zoysia macrantha...
grass, which was named by Carl Ludwig Willdenow
Carl Ludwig Willdenow
Carl Ludwig Willdenow was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants...
in 1801.
The Zois family was of Lombard
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
origin; Karl's father was Michelangelo Zois (1694–1777), a merchant who married a Carniolan noblewoman, and was nobilitated in 1739. The family was based in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. His brother was natural scientist and patron of the arts Sigmund Zois.