Theo Holm
Encyclopedia
Herman Theodor "Theo" Holm (February 3, 1854 - December 26, 1932) was a Danish-American systematic
botanist. He studied botany
at the University of Copenhagen
under professor Eugenius Warming
and graduated 1880. He participated in the Danish Dijmphna expedition to the territory between Russia
and the North Pole
during the First International Polar Year
1882-1883. The ship was icebound in the Kara Sea
. He explored the flora of West Greenland
as assistant to Warming
on the Fylla expedition
in 1884. He them emigrated to the U.S.A., landing in New York
on April 12, 1888. He soon was employed as assistant botanist by the U.S. National Museum
. 1893-1897, he was assistant pathologist with the U.S.D.A.. He obtained his Ph.D. in botany from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in 1902. He then moved to the countryside of Maryland
and did assistant work as a botanist for the Smithsonian Institution
and the U.S.D.A.. In 1932, he joined the faculty of the Catholic University of America, but died soon after.
His works deal with plants from the New and Old World Arctic
and from the Rocky Mountains
, mainly taxonomy and morphology. He was an unrivalled observer and drawer of plant structures.
The small-reed species Calamagrostis holmii
Lange is named for him.
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
botanist. He studied botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
under professor Eugenius Warming
Eugenius Warming
Johannes Eugenius Bülow Warming , known as Eugen Warming, was a Danish botanist and a main founding figure of the scientific discipline of ecology...
and graduated 1880. He participated in the Danish Dijmphna expedition to the territory between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
during the First International Polar Year
International Polar Year
The International Polar Year is a collaborative, international effort researching the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred in 1882-1883. Fifty years later a second IPY occurred...
1882-1883. The ship was icebound in the Kara Sea
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
. He explored the flora of West Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
as assistant to Warming
Eugenius Warming
Johannes Eugenius Bülow Warming , known as Eugen Warming, was a Danish botanist and a main founding figure of the scientific discipline of ecology...
on the Fylla expedition
Carl Ryder
thumb|right|200px|The schooner Fylla in Copenhagen harbourCarl Hartvig Ryder was a Danish naval officer and Arctic explorer.He was a member of several expeditions:...
in 1884. He them emigrated to the U.S.A., landing in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on April 12, 1888. He soon was employed as assistant botanist by the U.S. National Museum
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
. 1893-1897, he was assistant pathologist with the U.S.D.A.. He obtained his Ph.D. in botany from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in 1902. He then moved to the countryside of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and did assistant work as a botanist for the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and the U.S.D.A.. In 1932, he joined the faculty of the Catholic University of America, but died soon after.
His works deal with plants from the New and Old World Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and from the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, mainly taxonomy and morphology. He was an unrivalled observer and drawer of plant structures.
The small-reed species Calamagrostis holmii
Calamagrostis
Calamagrostis, or Small-reed or Reedgrass, is a genus in the Grass family Poaceae with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of Calamagrostis generally occur at higher elevations in...
Lange is named for him.
Selected scientific works
- Holm, Theo (1885) Novaia-Zemlia’s VegetationVegetationVegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
, særligt dens Phanerogamer. Dijmphna-Togtets zoologiske-botaniske udbytte. KjøbenhavnCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, 1885. 515 p.
- Holm, Theo. (1925) Hibernation and Rejuvenation, Exemplified by North American Herbs. American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 9 (9): 439-476. and Vol. 9 (10): 477-512.. The title probably alludes to the title of the first work on plant life-formPlant life-formPlant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs , etc...
, Om Skudbygning, Overvintring og Foryngelse [translated title: On shoot architecture, hibernation and rejuvenation] (1884) by Holm's former mentor in CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Eugen WarmingEugenius WarmingJohannes Eugenius Bülow Warming , known as Eugen Warming, was a Danish botanist and a main founding figure of the scientific discipline of ecology...
, who died the year before. At the end of the second part, Holm gives a list of all his papers on life-formPlant life-formPlant life-form schemes constitute a way of classifying plants alternatively to the ordinary species-genus-family scientific classification. In colloquial speech, plants may be classified as trees, shrubs, herbs , etc...
-related morphology and anatomy of American plants, ordered by genusGenusIn biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
.