Edmund Russow


Edmund August Friedrich Russow was a Baltic German biologist.

Academic career

Son of a military engineer, Edmund Russow studied at the Universities of Dorpat and Berlin. In 1867 he became an associate professor at Dorpat, where from 1874 to 1897, he served as a full professor. In 1895-97 he was president of the Estonian Naturalists' Society. Russow was at the forefront of nature conservation in Estonia, and associated with the work of Hugo Conwentz, a founder of nature conservation efforts throughout Europe.

Botanical work

Russow was an authority on Sphagnaceae and remembered for his research in plant anatomy and histology, in particular studies of the plant family Marsileaceae. The plant genus Russowia is named in his honor, as is Sphagnum russowii.

Written works