Pius Font i Quer facts for kids

Pius Font i Quer (born in Lleida in 1888, died in Barcelona in 1964) was a very important Catalan scientist. He was a botanist, which means he studied plants. He was also a pharmacist, someone who prepares and sells medicines, and a chemist, a scientist who studies substances and how they react.

Font i Quer spent his childhood in Manresa. He earned his doctorate in pharmacy in 1905. His main project for this degree was about the plants of the Bages region. Later, he became a professor of pharmacy and botany at the University of Barcelona and at the Barcelona School of Agriculture.

Building a Home for Plants

Pius Font i Quer played a big role in creating important places for plant study. He helped organize the Institut Botànic de Barcelona (Botanical Institute of Barcelona). He also founded the Jardí Botànic (Botanical Garden) in Barcelona. These places are like special libraries and museums for plants, where scientists can study them and people can learn about them.

In 1911, he joined the Health Military Corporation. This was a part of the military focused on health and medicine. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel pharmacist.

Facing Challenges

In 1936, while Font i Quer was on a plant expedition in Albarracín, the Spanish Civil War began. When he tried to return to Barcelona, he had to travel through the war zone. Because of this, he faced difficulties and lost some of his official honors. This made it harder for him to continue his important scientific work for a while.

A Leader in Science

Pius Font i Quer was a respected leader in the scientific community. He was the president of the Institució Catalana d'Història Natural (Catalan Institution of Natural History) from 1931 to 1934. He also led the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (Institute of Catalan Studies) in 1958. He was even the president of the Société Botanique in Geneva.

He was an honorary vice president at big international botany meetings in Paris (1954) and Edinburgh (1964). The University of Montpellier also gave him an honorary doctorate degree. This means they recognized his great contributions to science.

Important Books and Discoveries

Pius Font i Quer was key in creating scientific words for plants in both the Catalan and Spanish languages. His most famous book is the Diccionario de Botánica (Dictionary of Botany), published in 1953. This book is still a very important guide for students studying plants in Spain.

He also wrote Plantas medicinales (Medicinal Plants) in 1961 and Botánica pintoresca (Picturesque Botany) in 1958. His plant research took him all over Spain. He focused especially on Catalonia, the southern Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands, like Ibiza and Formentera.

To honor his work, some plant species and subspecies have been named after him. They have the name fontqueri as part of their scientific name.

See also

In Spanish: Pius Font i Quer para niños