Theodor Kotschy
Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy Teodor Koczy was an Austrian botanist and explorer who was a native of Ustroń, in Austrian Silesia. He was the son of theologian Carl Friedrich Kotschy.Biography
From 1836 to 1862 he performed extensive botanical research throughout the Middle East and northern Africa, in which he collected over 300,000 botanical specimens. Beginning in 1836, he accompanied geologist Joseph Russegger on a scientific trip to Cilicia and Syria, afterwards journeying through Nubia and Sennar. Following the dissolution with Russegger's expedition, he remained in Egypt. He later traveled to Kurdufan, Cyprus, Syria, Mesopotamia and Kurdistan ; and during 1842–43 he undertook an expedition to Persia. Later he performed botanical investigations in Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon ; and also in Cyprus, Asia Minor and Kurdistan. In 1862 he performed additional botanical research in Cyprus and Syria.
The plant genus Kotschya from the family Fabaceae is named in his honor. His name is associated with a species of lizard, "Kotschy’s gecko", and with the Cyprus bee orchid. His name is also used for a crocus species - Crocus kotschyanus, discovered by him in SE Turkey.Selected publications
- Reise in den cilicischen Taurus überTarsus. ; First description of the region of Bulghar Dagh, western Taurus.
- Abbildungen und Beschreibungen neuer und seltener Thiere und Pflanzen, in Syrien und im westlichen Taurus gesammelt, ;
- Analecta botanica,
- Coniferen des Cilicischen Taurus,,
- Die Eichen Europas und des Orients, ;
- Plantae Tinneanae ;
