# Vitus Grummann

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vitus_Grummann
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vitus_Grummann.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitus_Grummann
> Source revision: 1342401664
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|German lichenologist and teacher (1899–1967)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Vitus Johannes Grummann
| image             = 
| caption           = 
| alt               = 
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1899|03|3|df=y}}
| birth_place       = [Jacobsdorf](/source/Jacobsdorf), [Silesia](/source/Silesia)
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1967|12|12|1899|03|3|df=y}}
| death_place       = 
| resting_place     = 
| fields            = Lichenology
| workplaces        = [Reich Institute for Film and Picture in Science and Education](/source/Reichsanstalt_f%C3%BCr_Film_und_Bild_in_Wissenschaft_und_Unterricht)
| alma_mater        = [Friedrich-Wilhelm University](/source/Humboldt_University_of_Berlin)
| author_abbrev_bot = Grummann<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ipni.org/a/102-1 |title=Grummann, Vitus Johannes (1899–1967) |publisher=[International Plant Names Index](/source/International_Plant_Names_Index) |access-date=12 June 2023}}</ref>
}}

'''Vitus Johannes Grummann''' (3 March 1899 – 12 December 1967, Berlin) was a German [lichenologist](/source/lichenologist) and primary school teacher. Born in [Jacobsdorf](/source/Jacobsdorf), [Silesia](/source/Silesia), Grummann began his career in education and served as a primary school teacher in the [Berlin](/source/Berlin) area for many years. His professional path took a turn when he started studying [natural science](/source/natural_science)s at [Friedrich-Wilhelm University](/source/Friedrich-Wilhelm_University), developing a fascination with [botany](/source/botany), especially [lichen](/source/lichen)s. He earned his [doctorate](/source/doctorate) in 1939, producing a dissertation on [morphological](/source/morphology_(biology)) deviations in [lichen](/source/lichen)s. After World War II, Grummann headed a department at the [Reich Institute for Film and Picture in Science and Education](/source/Reichsanstalt_f%C3%BCr_Film_und_Bild_in_Wissenschaft_und_Unterricht) and simultaneously taught at Berlin high schools. His academic career was distinguished by 18 publications on various [floristic](/source/floristic) projects and the creation of a comprehensive [biographical](/source/biography)-[bibliographical](/source/bibliography) handbook of lichenologists worldwide. Grummann also took an active interest in the works of Silesian artists and authors. Several lichen species were [named in his honour](/source/eponym) in recognition of his contributions.

==Early life and career==

Grummann was born on 3 March 1899 in [Jacobsdorf](/source/Jacobsdorf), [Silesia](/source/Silesia), close to the [Polish border](/source/Germany%E2%80%93Poland_border). He pursued a career in education, attending a teachers' college in Bad Ziegenhals (now [Głuchołazy](/source/G%C5%82ucho%C5%82azy))  from 1913 to 1920, which was interrupted by the [conscription](/source/conscription) from 1917 to 1919.<ref name="Kärnefelt 2012"/><ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/> In the military, he first served in [infantry](/source/infantry), and later in [border protection](/source/border_control).<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/> In 1920 he became a primary school teacher, serving in the [Berlin](/source/Berlin) area for many years, until 1942.<ref name="Breitfeld et al. 2020"/> In this time he passed the special education teacher examination and completed his [matriculation](/source/matriculation) at the Ministry of Education in Berlin in 1937.<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/> However, his professional trajectory took a turn in the late 1930s, after he began studying [natural sciences](/source/natural_sciences) (specific and general botany, [geology](/source/geology) with [paleontology](/source/paleontology), and [zoology](/source/zoology)) at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University (now the [Humboldt University of Berlin](/source/Humboldt_University_of_Berlin)) in Berlin. His dedication to academia culminated in his earning a [doctorate](/source/doctorate) degree in 1939.<ref name="Kärnefelt 2012"/> From August 1939 until June 1941 he was again drafted into military service.<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/> Despite continuing his career in teaching, his university years sparked an enduring interest in [botany](/source/botany), with a specific fascination with [lichen](/source/lichen)s.<ref name="Kärnefelt 2012"/> His dissertation dealt with morphological deviations in lichens. These deviations can have various causes, from snail [grazing](/source/grazing) and subsequent regenerations to diverging ecological conditions and infestations of lichens, which themselves represent a permanent symbiosis between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, with specific parasitic fungi. The occurrence of these deviations repeatedly led to altered lichens being [described](/source/species_description) as new [species](/source/species) or [varieties](/source/variety_(botany)). Grummann developed a system for naming such deviations and presented it at the VII [International Botanical Congress](/source/International_Botanical_Congress) in [Stockholm](/source/Stockholm) in 1950.<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/>

Following the end of World War II, in 1946 Grummann took on the role of department head at the [Reich Institute for Film and Picture in Science and Education](/source/Reichsanstalt_f%C3%BCr_Film_und_Bild_in_Wissenschaft_und_Unterricht). At the same time, he was also a teacher at various high schools in Berlin. He was promoted to the position of senior teacher in 1954, and continued to work in this capacity in Berlin-Steglitz until he retired in 1963.<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/>

Throughout his academic career, Grummann made various contributions to the field of lichenology. He authored 18 publications related to various [floristic](/source/floristic) projects, commencing in 1935. Among his noteworthy works was a collaboration with [Johannes Hillmann](/source/Johannes_Hillmann) on the [cryptogam](/source/cryptogam)s of [Mark Brandenburg](/source/Gau_March_of_Brandenburg), published in 1957, and a systematic and floristic catalogue of lichens found in Germany, published in 1963.<ref name="Kärnefelt 2012"/>

Grummann also demonstrated a penchant for the meticulous organisation of records, as showcased by his [magnum opus](/source/magnum_opus), the ''Biographisch-bibliographisches Handbuch der Lichenologie''. Starting about 1960, Grummann worked for years on this comprehensive biographical-bibliographical handbook of lichenologists worldwide, listing every person who had ever mentioned a lichen in a scientific publication. The ambitious project listed 3865 authors from more than 40 countries, categorised by the author's country of birth and their focus area in lichenology. It also provided detailed personal and professional information, including birth and death details, academic record, employment history, and new taxa, among other aspects. Following Grummann's death in 1967, a colleague, [Oscar Klement](/source/Oscar_Klement), completed the editing and published the book in 1974, thereby consolidating a wealth of hard-to-find information about lichen authors globally.<ref name="Laundon 1975"/>

Vitus Grummann maintained a strong tie to his native Silesia and showed a keen interest in the works of various Silesian artists. He authored an article about the Silesian poet, [Georg Hauptstock](/source/Georg_Hauptstock) (1901–1944), and wrote his obituary. Grummann also undertook the biography of playwright [Felix Kügele](/source/Felix_K%C3%BCgele). He compiled a collection of [Goethe](/source/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe)'s quotes in a book, subtitled ''Natur – Gott – Religion'' ("Nature - God - Religion"). Additionally, he published a letter he received from [Nobel Prize](/source/Nobel_Prize) winner, [Gerhart Hauptmann](/source/Gerhart_Hauptmann) (1862–1946).<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021"/>

==Recognition==
Several lichen species have been [named in honour](/source/eponym) of Grummann. These include:<ref name="Hertel et al. 2017"/> ''[Micropeltella grummanniana](/source/Micropeltella_grummanniana)'' {{au|Kirschst. (1935)}};<ref name="Kirschstein 1935"/> ''[Epigloea grummannii](/source/Epigloea_grummannii)'' {{au|Döbbeler (1984)}};<ref name="Döbbeler 1984"/> ''[Lecidea grummannii](/source/Lecidea_grummannii)'' {{au|Hertel (1968)}}; ''[Thelidium grummannii](/source/Thelidium_grummannii)'' {{au|Servít (1946)}}; and ''[Verrucaria grummannii](/source/Verrucaria_grummannii)'' {{au|Servít (1939)}}.<ref name="Servít 1939"/>

==Selected publications==
* {{cite journal |last1=Grummann |first1=V.J. |year=1935 |title=Die Flechtenflora der Insel Rügen und Hiddensee |trans-title=The lichen flora of the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee |journal=Feddes Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis |volume=81A |pages=1–56 |language=de}}
* Hillmann, J. & Grummann, V. 1957: Kryptogamenflora der Mark Brandenburg und angrenzender Gebiete. Band VIII: Flechten. Berlin, Nikolassee: Gebrüder Borntraeger. 898 pp.
* Grummann, V.J. 1963. Catalogus Lichenum Germaniae: Ein systematisch-floristischer Katalog der Flechten Deutschlands.: i–viii, 1–208, pls. 1–2. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart.
* Grummann, Vitus. 1974: Biographisch-bibliographisches Handbuch der Lichenologie. Nach dem Tode des Verfassers für die Herausgabe durchgesehen von Oscar Klement. Verlag von J. Cramer, Lehre, 839 pp, 43 plates.

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=

<ref name="Breitfeld et al. 2020">{{cite book |last1=Breitfeld |first1=Matthias |last2=Hertel |first2=Eduard |last3=Baumann |first3=Angelika |title=Die Florenwerke Deutschlands. Werke und Autoren |trans-title=The floral works of Germany. Works and authors |year=2020 |publisher=Sonderband der Berichte der Bayerischen Botanischen Gesellschaft |url=https://www.zobodat.at/biografien/Florenwerke_Deutschlands_Berichte-Bayerischen-Bot-Ges-Erforschung-Flora_2020_SB_0001-0626.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name="Döbbeler 1984">{{cite journal |last=Döbbeler |first=P. |year=1984 |title=Symbiosen zwischen Gallertalgen und Gallertpilzen der Gattung ''Epigloea'' (ascomycetes) |trans-title=Symbiosis between jelly algae and jelly fungi of the genus ''Epigloea'' (ascomycetes) |journal=Beihefte zur Nova Hedwigia |volume=79 |pages=203–239 |language=de}}</ref>

<ref name="Hertel et al. 2017">{{cite journal |first1=Hannes |last1=Hertel |first2=Georg |last2=Gärtner |first3=László |last3=Lőkös |title=Forscher an Österreichs Flechtenflora |trans-title=Investigators of Austria's lichen flora |journal=Stapfia |year=2017 |volume=104 |issue=2 |pages=1–211 (see p.&nbsp;52) |language=German |url=https://www.zobodat.at/biografien/Flechtenforschung_Austria_STAPFIA_0104_2_0001-0211.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name="Kärnefelt 2012">{{cite journal |last1=Kärnefelt |first1=Ingvar |last2=Scholz |first2=Peter |last3=Seaward |first3=Mark R.D. |last4=Thell |first4=Arne |title=Lichenology in Germany: past, present and future |journal=Schlechtendalia |volume=23 |year=2012 |pages=22–23 |url=http://www.lichenology.org/PDFs/Kaernefelt%26al2012_LichenologyInGermany.pdf |archive-date=21 January 2022 |access-date=12 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121173609/http://www.lichenology.org/PDFs/Kaernefelt%26al2012_LichenologyInGermany.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="Kirschstein 1935">{{cite journal |last1=Kirschstein |first1=W. |year=1935 |title=Neue und seltene Ascomyceten |trans-title=New and Rare Ascomycetes |journal=Annales Mycologici |volume=33 |issue=3/4 |pages=202–229 |language=de}}</ref>

<ref name="Kulturstiftung 2021">{{cite web |last1=Scholz |first=Peter |title=Grummann, Vitus Johannes |website=Kulturstiftung |date=5 March 2021 |url=https://kulturstiftung.org/biographien/grummann-vitus-johannes |language=de |access-date=12 June 2023}}</ref>

<ref name="Laundon 1975">{{cite journal |authorlink=Jack Laundon |last=Laundon |first=J.R. |title=Biographisch-bibliographisches Handbuch der Lichenologie. By Vitus Grummann. J. Cramer, Lehre. 1974 |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=7 |issue=1 | year=1975 |doi=10.1017/s0024282975000072 |pages=67–71|s2cid=89936143 }}</ref>

<ref name="Servít 1939">{{cite journal |last1=Servít |first1=M. |year=1939 |title=Lichenum sectionis Verrucaria sphinctrina revisio critica |journal=Beihefte zum Botanischen Centralblatt |volume=59B |pages=113–168 |language=la}}</ref>

}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grummann, Vitus Johannes}}

Category:1899 births
Category:1967 deaths
Category:German lichenologists
Category:20th-century German scientists
Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
Category:People from Silesia

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vitus Grummann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitus_Grummann) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitus_Grummann?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.