Rolf Singer
Encyclopedia
Rolf Singer was a German
-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists
of gilled mushroom
s (agarics) in the 20th century.
After receiving his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna
in 1931 he worked in Munich
. By 1933, however, Singer was forced to flee Nazi Germany
to Vienna
. There he met his wife, Martha Singer. From Vienna
, Singer and his wife went to Barcelona, Spain, where Singer was appointed Assistant Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
. Persecution by the Spanish authorities on behalf of the German
government forced Singer to leave Spain
for France
in 1934. After a fellowship at the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris
, Singer again moved, this time to Leningrad
, where he was Senior Scientific Expert at the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. During his time at the Academy, Singer made many expeditions to Siberia
, the Altai Mountains, and Karelia
. In 1941, Singer emigrated to the United States
. He was offered a position at the Farlow Herbarium as a research associate, then as Assistant Curator, then as acting Curator following the death of Dr. David Linder. He spent a total of seven years at the Farlow. During this time, Singer also received a Guggenheim Fellowship
for studies in Florida
, and taught at the Mountain Lake Biological Station of the University of Virginia
.
In 1948, Singer left Harvard to become professor at the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman
in Argentina
. Later, in 1961, Singer became professor at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. During his time in South America
, Singer, his wife, and his daughter Heidi collected extensively. Singer's last faculty appointment was at the University of Illinois at Chicago
, from 1968 to 1977.
Singer was a prolific writer, with more than 400 publications to his name. He was also known for his eagerness to aid other botanists, whether they were professionals or amateurs.
He wrote major books like "The Agaricales
in Modern Taxonomy
". He fled to various countries during the Nazi
period, pursuing mycology in far-flung places like the Soviet Union
, Argentina
, and finally the United States
, as mycologist at the Field Museum in Chicago
.
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...
-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of gilled mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s (agarics) in the 20th century.
After receiving his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
in 1931 he worked in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. By 1933, however, Singer was forced to flee Nazi Germany
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...
to 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...
. There he met his wife, Martha Singer. From 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...
, Singer and his wife went to Barcelona, Spain, where Singer was appointed Assistant Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
Autonomous University of Barcelona
The Autonomous University of Barcelona is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain....
. Persecution by the Spanish authorities on behalf of the German
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...
government forced Singer to leave Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1934. After a fellowship at the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Singer again moved, this time to Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, where he was Senior Scientific Expert at the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. During his time at the Academy, Singer made many expeditions to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, the Altai Mountains, and Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
. In 1941, Singer emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was offered a position at the Farlow Herbarium as a research associate, then as Assistant Curator, then as acting Curator following the death of Dr. David Linder. He spent a total of seven years at the Farlow. During this time, Singer also received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for studies in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and taught at the Mountain Lake Biological Station of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
In 1948, Singer left Harvard to become professor at the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman
Universidad Nacional de Tucumán
The National University of Tucumán is a national university in the Tucumán Province, in the northwest region of Argentina.-General information:...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Later, in 1961, Singer became professor at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. During his time in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Singer, his wife, and his daughter Heidi collected extensively. Singer's last faculty appointment was at the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
, from 1968 to 1977.
Singer was a prolific writer, with more than 400 publications to his name. He was also known for his eagerness to aid other botanists, whether they were professionals or amateurs.
He wrote major books like "The Agaricales
Agaricales
The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...
in Modern Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
". He fled to various countries during the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
period, pursuing mycology in far-flung places like the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and finally the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as mycologist at the Field Museum in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Further reading
- The Agaricales in modern taxonomy by Rolf Singer (Koeltz Scientific Books)
- Die Röhrlinge. by Rolf Singer (J. Klinkhardt, 1900)
- A monograph on the genus Leucopaxillus Boursier by Rolf Singer (University of Michigan Press], 1943)
- Mycoflora Australis. by Rolf Singer(J.Cramer, 1969)
- Omphalinae (Clitocybeae-Tricholomataceae Basidiomycetes). by Rolf Singer (Published for Organization of Flora Neotropica by Hafner Pub. Co., 1970)
- The Boletineae of Mexico and Central America III by Rolf Singer (J. Cramer, 1991)
- The Boletineae of Mexico and Central America by Rolf Singer (J. Cramer, 1990)
- The Agaricales in modern taxonomy by Rolf Singer (Koeltz Scientific Books, 1986)
- The ectotrophically mycorrhizal fungi of the neotropical lowlands, especially Central Amazonia by Rolf Singer (J. Cramer, 1983)
- Hydropus (Basidiomycetes, Tricholomataceae, Myceneae) by Rolf Singer(New York Botanical Garden, 1982)
- Omphalinae (Clitocybeae-Tricholomataceae Basidiomycetes). by Rolf Singer (Published for Organization for Flora Neotropica by Hafner Pub. Co., 1970)
- Strobilomycetaceae (Basidiomycetes). by Rolf Singer (Published for Organization for Flora Neotropica by Hafner Pub. Co., 1970)
- The Boletineae of Florida by Rolf Singer (J. Cramer, 1977)
- Marasmieae (Basidiomycetes-Tricholomataceae) by Rolf Singer (Published for Organization for Flora Neotropica by the New York Botanical Garden, 1976)
- The genera Marasmiellus, Crepidotus and Simocybe in the neotropics by Rolf Singer (Cramer, 1973)
- A monograph of Favolaschia by Rolf Singer (Cramer, 1974)
- The Agaricales in modern taxonomy by Rolf Singer (J. Cramer, 1975)
- Phaeocollybia (Cortinariaceae-Basidiomycetes). by Rolf Singer (Published for Organization for Flora Neotropica by Hafner Pub. Co., 1970)
- Mycoflora Australis. by Rolf Singer (Cramer, 1969)
- Die Röhrlinge. by Rolf Singer (J. Klinkhardt, 1965)