Table Of Content2
OBITUARY: KAI LARSEN (1921–2012)
Henrik Balslev
Kai Larsen was born on 15th November 1926 that encompassed 2000 m2 of very beautiful green-
in Hillerød, a small town north of Copenhagen houses in the municipal botanical garden, a new
with some 30,000 inhabitants and mostly know for herbarium, and many laboratories for a wide range
being the home of many Danish kings who inhabit- of botanical studies including limnology, cytology,
ed the Frederiksborg Castle. His father, Axel Georg anatomy etc. Since then these various sections of
Larsen, owned a book-binding business and Kai the institute have grown and become important in-
Larsen was brought up in the proud tradition of ternationally, nationally and locally. The herbarium
Danish craftsmanship in which high quality and of Aarhus University is now widely known interna-
perfection are key-words. He graduated from tionally, not least for its collections of tropical
Frederiksborg Gymnasium (Highschool) in 1946 plants including very important collections from
and initiated an academic career with studies at the Thailand. The green houses are a major attraction
University of Copenhagen from which he graduated for the public and exhibits 8000 plants from all
as Candidatus magisterii six years later with a ma- over the World, and next year a new tropical palm
jor in botany (1952). Following his graduation he house will be inaugurated.
continued pursuing his academic career as a re- Kai Larsen was a prolifi c teacher. During his
search assistant and teacher at the University of many travels he lectured about his research all over
Copenhagen, until he became associate professor the World. In SE Asia he tutored many young bota-
at the Farmaceutical University in Copenhagen in nist, especially from Thailand. Many of them spent
1962. One year later, in 1963,he became the fi rst prolonged visits and some of them took their de-
professor of botany at Aarhus University and he grees at Aarhus University. For his Danish students
was charged with building up a Botanical Institute he will mostly be remembered for his taxonomy
at the university. Until then the only 30 years old classes which were always meticulously prepared
university had not trained biologists, so it was Kai and elegantly delivered. For lack of a good text Kai
Larsen’s duty to build up research and teaching in Larsen wrote a Danish language book (((Kormfyternes
botany to underpin the biology study. The city of Taxonomi, 1974) which precisely summarized the
Aarhus supported the young university in many most recent classifi cation of vascular and especially
ways and in general the economic climate was fa- fl owering plants at the time based on the systems of
vorable during the high times of the 1960s. In a few Takhtajan and Cronquist.
years Kai Larsen was able to build up an institute
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Kai Larsen was much respected for his con- on Malay gingers (1999) and a treatment of the
tribution to tropical botany and taxonomy. He was Chinese gingers in Flora of China together with
elected member of the Royal Danish Academy of Wu (2000). For the legumes he wrote the
Sciences and Letters (1979) and The Royal Caesalpinoid genera forr Flora of Thailanddand also
Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. for Flora Malesiana (with Ding Hou 1996), and he
Kai Larsen’s scientifi c career was as a plant co-authored the entire volume on legumes for the
taxonomist. His fi rst expedition was to Greenland Flora of China (with Wu, Raven and Hong, 2010).
when he was still a student, and his earliest publi- Kai Larsen was honoured by his colleagues who
cations are about Greenland’s fl ora. During his named many plant genera after him. Kailarsenia
early years at the University of Copenhagen he was and Larsenaikia are two genera in the Rubiaceae;
asked to administrate and lead the First Thai- Kaisupeea – a gesneriad – honours both Kai Larsen
Danish Expedition which was held during the years and his wife Supee S. Larsen; Larsenianthus is a
1958-59. This expedition was the initiative of the genus in the ginger family that he loved so much.
then Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Gunnar Many species were also named for him: Bauhinia
Seidenfaden, who was a keen botanist in his spare larsenii is a fossil legume from China; Impatiens
time with an immense knowledge of the more than larsenii is in the Balsaminaceae;Cassytha larsenii
one thousand species of Thai Orchids. The expedi- in Lauraceae; Crotalaria larsenii is a legume;
tion explored the Malay Peninsula, eastern Primula larsenii in the Primulaceae; Lasianthus
Thailand, and the mountains in the north. During larsenii and Mouretia larsenii both in the
the expeditions Kai Larsen and the other Danish Rubiaceae; and fi nally Caulokaempferia larsenii,
members of the expedition established close work- Cornukaempferia larsenii, Curcuma larsenii,
ing relationships with the Thai botanists, not least Hedychium larsenii, Kaempferia larsenii and
the then director of the Forest Herbarium in Zingiber larsenii all honours his great contribution
Bangkok, Tem Smitinand. Two shorter expeditions to the taxonomy of Zingiberaceae.
(1961-62; 1963) followed and contributed to fur- Kai Larsen was the grand old man in tropical
ther tighten the bonds between Thai and Danish botany. His contributions were many and encom-
botanists. In 1965 Kai Larsen invited a group of passed institution building, teaching, research, tu-
leading European and Thai botanist to a meeting at toring young botanists, and he also participated in
Kew where it was decided to initiate the Flora of the work of international organisations such as
Thailandd project. This was to become Kai Larsen’s International Association of Botanical Gardens. He
largest scientifi c undertaking. Since its initiation was a true leader and highly respected, not least in
Kai Larsen has contributed treatments of 44 fami- Thailand where he was always treated with great
lies to the fl ora and has participated in all biennial admiration. On the 1stt of December 1996 Kai
Flora of Thailandd meetings, except the last one Larsen retired from his professorship at Aarhus
which was held in Chiang Mai in November of University. But he continued his work as professor
2011. Kai Larsen was editor of the Flora of Thailand emeritus and came in to work several days a week.
together with Tem Smitinand from 1970 when the He was involved in many activities, both his own
fi rst volume appeared until 2009 when part 29 had research and also representing Aarhus University
been published. Since then Kai Larsen has been in various international projects such as Flora
editor together with Thawatchai Santisuk. This Nordica and Flora of China. And he remained
Thai-Danish undertaking with collaboration from close to his love for the Flora of Thailandd and
many international specialists, is now very fi rmly made many journeys and participated in many
established and the termination of the project is meetings. He organized the 14th Flora of Thailand
within reach in the coming years. As mentioned, meeting in Copenhagen in August of 2008. After
Kai Larsen published taxonomic accounts of a that his health prevented him from travelling more
great number of plant families, but his favorite to Thailand but his interest was just as vivid as it
families were the legumes and the gingers. In these had always been. He delivered his talk to the 15th
families he has contributed a vast number of publi- Flora of Thailandd meeting in Chiang Mai as a vid-
cations, not only about their Thai species, but treat- eotaped presentation, which was his last public en-
ing species from all over South East Asia. For in- gagement with the project. On 23rdd of August 2012
stance, he has published many shorter journal he passed away surrounded by his wife and
papers about new gingers and also collective books colleagues.
