Karl von Zois

Karl von Zois
Born(1756-11-18)November 18, 1756
Ljubljana, Holy Roman Empire
DiedOctober 29, 1799(1799-10-29) (aged 42)
Trieste, Holy Roman Empire
NationalitySlovenian
Scientific career
FieldsBotany

Karl von Zois zu Laibach (18 November 1756 – 29 October 1799) was a Carniolan amateur botanist and plant collector.[1] Von Zois was described as a "country gentleman".[1] He is best known today as the namesake of zoysiagrass,[2] which was named by Carl Ludwig Willdenow in 1801.[1] The bellflower Campanula zoysii is also named after him.[3]

Karl von Zois was born in Ljubljana and baptized Carolus Philippus Eugenius Zoiss.[4] The Zois family was of Lombard origin; Karl's father was Michelangelo Zois (1694–1777), a merchant who married a Carniolan noblewoman, and was nobilitated in 1739. The family was based in Ljubljana (German: Laibach). His brother was the natural scientist and patron of the arts Sigmund Zois.

  1. ^ a b c Australian Biological Resources Study (2005). Flora of Australia: Poaceae: Centothecoideae Chloridoideae. Vol. 44. Csiro Publishing. p. 263. ISBN 0-643-05702-1.
  2. ^ Duble, Richard L. "Zoysiagrass". Texas Cooperative Extension. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  3. ^ Walek, Kristl. "Campanula zoysii: "Daughter of the Slovene Mountains"". Ottawa Valley Rock Garden & Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  4. ^ Geburts und Taufregister. Ljubljana – Sv. Nikolaj. 1755–1762. p. 90. Retrieved 7 March 2024.