Occupation Botanist, Biologist Children 5 | Name Carl Mez Role Botanist | |
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Full Name Carl Christian Mez Born March 26, 1866 ( 1866-03-26 ) Freiburg im Breisgau Spouse(s) Thea Jensen (1890–1937, her death) Died January 8, 1944, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | ||
Carl Christian Mez (26 March 1866 – 8 January 1944) was a German botanist and university professor. He is denoted by the author abbreviation Mez when citing a botanical name.
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Life and work
Mez came from a family of industrialists in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden. He was a grandchild of the entrepreneur and politician Karl Christian Mez (1808–1877). As a high-school student he was interested in botany, and wrote a technical paper regarding a hybrid Inula. In 1890, Mez married Therese (Thea) Jensen (1867–1937), the daughter of poet Wilhelm Jensen. They had 5 children together. Through their oldest daughter's marriage, they became parents-in-law to psychologist Narziß Ach.
He first studied at the university in his hometown from 1883 to 1884, and then moved to Berlin for one semester before returning in 1886 to Freiburg. He wrote his thesis at Berlin, on the Lauraceae (the Laurel family), and received his Ph.D. from there.
After completing his degree, Mez worked briefly at the Berlin Botanical Museum, then moved to Breslau where he worked as a private lecturer. In 1900, Mez became Professor of Systematic Botany and Pharmaceutical Studies in Halle, and in 1910 he became Professor of Plant-physiology and Director of the Botanical Gardens near Königsberg. He was made Professor Emeritus in 1935.
Mez was founder of the Botanical Archives, and, until 1938, publisher as well.
His main areas of research were systematics and physiology. He continued to study the taxonomy and morphology of the Lauraceae, and introduced the use of serology as a method of studying plant relationships. Also, he studied mycology, and wrote about dry rot.
The plant genera Mezia (Schwacke ex Nied.) and Meziella (Schindl.) were named in his honor.