Pieter Baas | |
|---|---|
 Baas in a 2005 portrait by Carla Rodenberg | |
| Born | 28 April 1944 Wieringermeer, Netherlands |
| Died | 29 April 2024 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Alma mater | Leiden University |
| Awards | Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2000) Linnean Medal (2003) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany, plant systematics, wood anatomy |
| Institutions | Leiden University, National Herbarium of the Netherlands |
| Thesis | Comparative anatomy of Ilex, Nemopanthus, Sphenostemon, Phelline, and Oncotheca (1975) |
Pieter Baas (28 April 1944 – 29 April 2024) was a Dutch botanist and an emeritus professor of plant systematics at the Leiden University, who served as director of the Rijksherbarium of Leiden University between 1991 and 1999. When the institute was faced with budget cuts in 1993 he managed to preserve the collection by joining it with the university collections of Wageningen and Utrecht. This led to the founding of the National Herbarium of the Netherlands in 1999. Baas subsequently became director of the institute and served until 2005. As a botanist, Baas specialised in wood anatomy, and was an elected fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science.