Josif Pančić

Josif Pančić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јосиф Панчић) (born Josip Pančić, April 17, 1814 – March 8, 1888) [cite web|url=http://www.sanu.ac.yu/Clanstvo/IstClan.aspx?arg=410,|publisher=Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts|title=Јосиф Панчић|language=Serbian] was a Serbian botanist of Croatian origin. He was a famous lecturer at the Great School in Belgrade.

He was born "Josip Pančić" in Bribir, near Crikvenica, Croatia (then Habsburg Monarchy) to a Bunjevac Roman Catholic family, the fourth son of Pavel Pančić. After finishing elementary school in Gospić, he went on to the lyceum in Rijeka and graduated in 1842 in Budapest in medicine. He had an avid interest in biology, especially botany.

He was acquainted with the Serbian linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in Vienna who wrote him a letter of recommendation in to the Serbian authorities in order to fulfill his wish to settle in the then Principality of Serbia. Once there he changed his first name to the Eastern Orthodox equivalent "Josif" and converted to the Eastern Orthodox faith.

Pančić worked as a physician in rural Serbia and documented its flora during his frequent visits of the principality. He fell in love with Kopaonik which he visited 16 times between 1851 and 1886.

He was credited with having classified many species of plants which were unknown to the botanical community at that time. His most significant discovery was the Serbian Spruce, which he named "Pinus omorika" ("omorika" being the Serbian name for a spruce), later being reclassified as "Picea omorika" (Pančić) Purkyne.

Pančić was named the first president of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts formed on April 5, 1887. He requested opening of the Botanic garden "Jevremovac" in Belgrade. A mausoleum of Josif Pančić on Kopaonik was erected in 1951 by the Academy, the University of Belgrade and the Hikers union, with the inscription:

: Honoring Pančić's request, we moved him here to rest forever. We also announce his message for the Serbian youth: "Only with a thorough understanding and analysis of the nature of our country will they show how much they love and honor their homeland".

The standard botanical author abbreviation Pančić is applied to species he described.

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*cite web|url=http://pancic.bio.bg.ac.yu/Engl/index.htm|title=Life road of Josif Pancic|accessdate=2007-07-12