Luíz W. Carrisso

Luíz Wittnich Carrisso (born 14 February 1886, Figueira da Foz – died 14 June 1937, Namibe, S Angola) had an excellent start in botany through the competent hands of Ruy Telles Palhinha (1871-1957) in the classes of Natural Sciences in Lisbon. They became everlasting friends. At the Faculty of Natural Philosophy of the University of Coimbra, Carrisso was a pupil of Júlio Henriques, Professor of Botany and Agriculture and director of the Botanic Garden. At the age of 22, Carrisso got his degree and three years latter his doctorate with a thesis on the plankton of the Portuguese coast being examined by Henriques. Soon after, he was appointed Assistant in the Biological Sciences of the recently established Faculty of Sciences, submitting again a research on plankton. For six years, Carrisso was a lecturer. New commitments came with the retirement of Henriques in 1918 and Carrisso was appointed full professor and took the place of his old master becoming the 15th director of the Botanical Institute at the age of 32. He remained in post for 19 years.

Carrisso was a man of action, a conductor of events, a vibrant and critical speaker, an explorer rather than a laboratory or herbarium researcher and he did not write many scientific articles. His legacy was the great cosmopolitan projects on African botany and the large Angolan collections produced by his expeditions. Both projected the Institute of Coimbra into the world. Carrisso’s career had four periods. The first marked by his interest in Algae and his education as biologist, then a quiet time as lecturer and visitor to the laboratory of Robert Chodat in Switzerland in 1920. On his return, already as Director of Botany and the Botanic Garden, he had to face the dilapidated state of the country as a result from the First World. This was a period of re-organization for the Institute.

The director divided the Institute in three sections: Laboratories, Herbarium and Garden. The Laboratories were well-equipped for cytology, plant anatomy, mycology and genetics, with algotec, sterilisation cabinets, photography and microphotography, all under the supervision of the new lecturer Aurélio Quintanilha. For the Herbarium, Carrisso invited the biologist Francisco d’Ascenção Mendonça, who replaced Júlio Henriques when the old master passed away. The Sociedade Broteriana, established by Júlio Henriques, needed much attention as it had lost its steam. To maintain the flow of publications, Carrisso initiated in 1922 the second series of the Boletim extending its scope to cytology and genetics. He started the new publications Memórias (1930) and Anuário (1935). The Herbarium expanded the result of various expeditions in Portugal and the collaboration of the members of the Sociedade, who sent material from Portugal and the colonies of the time. He also promoted the collection of cryptogams. As for the Garden, his solution did not please him, leaving it to his own responsibility and the burden “leaves me awake at night”! He re-built the glasshouses and built a new one for tropical aquatic plants. Nevertheless, his major worries became the building itself when part of it was converted for the use of the High School José Falcão – then Carrisso threatened to resign! As a result of all this activity, teaching was modernised with the addition of new subjects, ecology, phytogeography and speakers were invited from abroad.

During this period, Carrisso developed a firm determination to carry out the scientific exploration of the then Portuguese African colonies. This was no easy project as no one seemed to be interested in the colonies and the academics did not fancy the discomforts of expeditions. On various occasions, Carrisso expressed his critical view of such a state of affairs very clearly.

In 1927, Carrisso and Mendoça departed to Angola for the first of three expeditions that totalled c. 30.000 km. Fully aware of the difficulties to determine at COI the plant material collected, Carrisso soon established good collaboration with the British Museum, London, and a long-term relationship with Arthur Exell started.

Conspectus Flora Angolensis (1937- ) http://bibdigital.bot.uc.pt/obras/UCFCTBt-E-21-31/UCFCTBt-E-21-31-01/globalItems.html was the long-term publication and fruit of this collaboration. It was an important step in Portuguese botany both for the large scope of the project and the international involvement of the participants.

These expeditions to Angola were also the opportunity to collect many of the artifacts now in the Coimbra Museum of Science, seeds for the Botanic Garden and fruits for the Herbarium; a very large number of photographs were taken.

On the 14th June 1937 in the Namibe, in S Angola, Carrisso died suddenly of heart failure at the aged of 49. He was with his companions on the expedition, one of whom was his wife.

See more in: Freitas, H., Amaral, P., Ramires, A. & Sales, F. Eds. (2005). Missão Botânica, Angola (1927-1937). Imprensa da Universidade: Coimbra.