Júlio Augusto Henriques

Júlio Augusto Henriques (15 January 1838 - 15 January 1928) was a Portuguese botanist and professor at the University of Coimbra. He developed the Herbarium of the University and Coimbra Botanical Garden. He also founded the Broterian Society, which brought together various scientists botanists, geologists and naturalists. He was a large admirer of the work of Charles Darwin. He also wrote many articles about the flora of Portugal.

Biography

Henriques was born on 15 January 1838, in the parish of Arco de Baúlhe.

In 1853, he married Zulmira Angelina de Magalhães Lima.

He went to school in the city of Braga. In 1854, he trained to become a lawyer at College of São Bento in Coimbra, (following his fathers wishes). He completed his law course in 1859, but then enrolled on a second college course in Philosophy at the University of Coimbra. After gaining a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, he went on to obtain a Ph.D. doctorate.

This invigoration within the botany department, turned Coimbra into a national centre for studying Portuguese flora.

In 1880, he was still in contact with Heinrich Moritz Willkomm, with several letters being sent between the two botanists.

In 1880, he founded the Sociedade Broteriana, which was named in honour after Félix Avelar Brotero (a botanist and founder of the Botanical Garden. The botanical society brought together plant enthusiasts from all over Portugal, to write various articles in the society's bulletins. and disseminate information about plants throughout the country.

Henriques became to travel all over the country to collect more specimens for the University and the herbarium. He also started classifying and identifying the herbarium collection (including Willkomm's and his) specimens.

In 1882, Henriques published an article Carlos Darwin, which is devoted to Charles Darwin's life and works.

In 1886, he published Uma excursão botanica na Serra do Caramullo in Bol. Soc Broteriana, various geological, topographical and flora observations from explorations taken in June 1884. He was also interested in the development of agriculture on São Tomé and Príncipe and in Angola, publishing instructions on successful cultivation of certain crop species (particularly quinine for its protective qualities against malaria), and sending over thousands of species of potential agricultural interest.

In 1889, he published Lecanora newtoniana (a species of Lichen) in Ins. Guin.: 17 (1889).

He studied specimens from plant collectors, Frenchman Jules Alexandre Daveau (during 1852-1929) and M. Ferreira. (during 1860-1920).

In 1901, he published De Macieira até Castro Daire in Bol. Soc Broteriana various geological, topographical and flora details of various regions in articles.

In 1917, he wrote A Ilha de S. Tomé, sob o ponto de vista histórico-natural e agrícola.

He also wrote Plantas Da Borracha E Da Gutta-Percha (Portuguese Edition). It was re-published in paperback form on 27 January 2012.

He is the botanical author of Iris boissieri.

After his death in 1928, several articles Flora vascular de Transcow were published in Anais da Faculdade de Sciências do Porto in 1936 by Gonçalo Sampaio. This was a brief annotated list of 405 species of vascular plants collected by Henriques in July 1908.

In 1978, Sociedade Broteriana also published the letters sent between Julio Henriques and Heinrich Moritz Willkomm.