Johan Peter Falk (26 November 1732 – 31 March 1774) was a Swedish botanist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. His first name is sometimes spelled "Johann"; his middle name is sometimes spelled "Pehr"; and his surname is sometimes spelled "Falck".[1] The standard author abbreviation Falk is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[2] The genus Falkia is named for him.

Biography

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Falk was born in the parish of Broddetorp in Västergötland, Sweden. He was the son of Peter Falck (1701–1754) and Beata Winge (1706–1771). He studied at the University of Uppsala under Carl Linnaeus as served as a tutor for his son, Carl Linnaeus the Younger. He defended his dissertation in 1762.[1]

Falk traveled to Russia and in 1763 and became Curator for the Cabinet of Natural History in St. Petersburg. In 1765, Falck was appointed Professor in medicine and botany at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He participated in the expedition to the central Russian province of Povolzhye, Siberia, Altay, and Transbaikal (1768–1774) organised by the Prussian scientist Peter Simon Pallas (1741–1811). Results were published in St. Petersburg at the Imperial Academy of Sciences.[3] [4]

In 1774, Falk killed himself in Kazan. Falk's notes were published in Germany as Beyträge zur topgraphischen Kentniß des rußischen Reichs (3 volumes, 1785–1786). They were edited by Johann Gottlieb Georgi (1729–1802).[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sigurd Lindman. "Johan Peter Falck". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  2. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Falk.
  3. ^ Атлас к Полному собранию ученых путешествий по России …. Ч. 1 [Atlas to the Complete Collection of Scientific Travels in Russia…. Part 1]. St. Petersburg: The Imperial Academy of Sciences. 1818.
  4. ^ Полное собрание ученых путешествий по России. Записи путешествия академика Фалька. Т. VI [Complete collection of scholarly travels in Russia. Travel notes of Academician Falk. T. VI]. Санкт-Петербург. 1824.
  5. ^ "Peter Simon Pallas". saint-petersburg.com. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  6. ^ "Johann Gottlieb Georgi". saint-petersburg.com. Retrieved December 1, 2018.

Literature

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