Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis 6. (1969)

Szujkóné Lacza Júlia: Megemlékezés Andreánszky Gáborról (1895–1967)

North Africa, the constant change and evolvement of plants and vegetational formations by the actions of climate and its factors turned from autopsy into his scientific conviction. Already in 1939, he enriched phytogeorgraphy by a significant theoretical statement. He establis hed namely the so called „dry timberline", an implication based on the lack of humidity saturation. This concept appears again and again in his later works, substantiating a close connection between the ecomorphological features of the species, the vegetational formations, and the lack of humidity saturation. In 1942, the time became ripe to write „The vegetation of the geological past". It was one of the first major manifestations of the amalgamation of his scientific views and experiences along vegetationhistoric lines when he treated plant migrations as dependent on the climate, using as proofs the fossil materials deriving from the investigations of his contemporaries. He expounds in his work on the Nort African Pituranthus species that the northern margin of the Sahara is a centre of specific genesis and that the place of the evolution of most species is to be found on the northwestern part of the Sahara. There is but a comparatively small number of systematical elaborations in his papers, though there are among them also North African genera! On the other hand, he wrote numerous discussions on floras and formations, having studied them personally (as first in our home literature, e. g. Tomlllares, Phrygana etc.) His experiences thus gained, the informations on species, the composition of formations and a knowledge of their geographical and climatic requirements, bore their fruits actually in later times only. After taking his chair at the University (Phytosystematical and Phytogeographical Institute), he was also commissioned in 1949. to give paleobotanical lectures also for geology students. Though prior to this time, and as far as we know, G. Andreánszky had no more than studied paleobotany (as referable from his book-reviews), and although in 1945—49 he worked mainly on the reconstruction and the directing into quieter channels of the life the Institute and the Botanical Department. He undertook the lectures on paleobotany and began with all his zeal the scientific exploration of the extremely rich Tertiary flora of Hungary. Joining the ranks of the eminent paleobotanists, his papers now contain the descriptions of plant fossils and, almost concurrently, he himself begins to form a special circle of students. The specific knowledge of the professor, his. professional devotion, the unselfishness apparent toward the students and his appreciation of their thourst for knowledge, act as a magnet on the young people. A special school gradually forms, and to this initially paleobotanic circle a number of young workers belong: Clara Bocsa, Ilona Bubik, Magdalene Czár, Gábriellé Cziffery, Ernest Horváth, Gabor Józsa, Kinga Kubát, Eve Kováts, Elisabeth Nóvák, Stephen Pálfalvi, Stephen Varga, George Vitális, Ilona Vörös, Lidia Zeller, Lidia Zilahy. Besides his scientific achievements, the professor multiplies his merits also through his students and in the results attained in furthering science. And many others, working in other branches of biology, confess themselves to be his students as well all who received the basic features of their scientific attitude from him. Though Andreánszky had for long time not worked with recent plant and phytogeography, his youngier colleagues and erstwhile students bring their geobotanical and taxonomical problems to him even in the last days. For them, thus directly drawing from the spring of a great u