Ivo Trinajstić (1933–2024)
Ivo Trinajstić, Professor Emeritus at the University of Zagreb, passed away on August 2, 2024, after a long illness. A professor of botany at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, for many years, he was one of the leading authorities on Croatian flora and vegetation.
Born on October 27, 1933, in Sisak, Professor Trinajstić completed his degree in agronomy at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Zagreb, in 1958. He earned his master’s degree in 1964 from the Faculty of Science, Zagreb, with a thesis titled Vegetation of the Coastal Area of the Drava River in the Wider Vicinity of Varaždin. A year later, in 1965, he completed his PhD at the same faculty with a dissertation entitled The Vegetation of the Island of Krk.
Following his graduate studies, he worked at the Agricultural Cooperative in Varaždinske Toplice and at the Horticultural School in Vinica near the city of Varaždin. From October 1960 until his retirement in 1999, he was a faculty member at the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Forestry. He also taught several botanical courses at the University of Split and postgraduate courses at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb.
Professor Trinajstić was an enthusiastic and passionate educator. He not only sought to convey botanical knowledge to his students but also encouraged them to reflect deeply on the intricate relationships within ecosystems. He shared his vast life experience with his students, preparing them for future challenges. His vivid, dynamic lectures and memorable field trips to Medvednica, Samoborsko Gorje, and Velebit had a lasting impact on generations of students.
Professor Trinajstić's scientific career was characterized by meticulous work and unwavering dedication to every challenge he encountered. He authored over 700 articles and contributions across scientific journals, books, and popular science and professional magazines. His tireless efforts greatly enriched the understanding of Croatian flora, as he published numerous important contributions. His research spanned the flora of many Adriatic islands, including Krk, Korčula, Lastovo, Hvar, and Unije. He also made significant contributions by documenting new and rare plant species within Croatian flora.
As a legacy for future generations of botanists, Professor Trinajstić left behind a substantial herbarium collection, now preserved in the Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb. A portion of this collection has been digitized and is publicly available through the Flora Croatica Database web portal.
One of the hallmarks of his career was his extensive work in vegetation research. He described numerous new syntaxa and contributed significantly to the ecological and phytogeographical classification of the vegetation of Croatia. His book Plant Communities of Croatia, published in 2008, is a testament to his vast knowledge and extensive fieldwork. It provided the first comprehensive syntaxonomic overview of Croatian vegetation, complete with association descriptions and an extensive bibliography.
Professor Trinajstić was also deeply involved in the taxonomic study of plant species, particularly through his contributions to the edition Analytical Flora of Yugoslavia. His work on resolving taxonomic issues, alongside his mentorship of younger colleagues for whom he suggested topics for master's and doctoral theses, left a profound impact on the trajectory of botanical research in Croatia.
His legacy in botanical science will forever be remembered, notably through the species Viola ivonis, named in his honour by German botanist Matthias Erben.
He was a member of the editorial boards of Hladnikia and Periodicum Biologorum, and was also affiliated with several prestigious organizations, including the Academy of Forestry Sciences, the Amicale Internationale de Phytosociologie, the Organization for the Phyto-Taxonomic Investigations of the Mediterranean Area (OPTIMA), the Croatian Ecological Society, and the Croatian Biological Society. His active involvement in the Eastern Alpine and Dinaric Society for Vegetation Ecology (EADSVE) was particularly notable; he served as president from 1993 to 1997 and was named an honorary member in 2015.
In addition to his scientific work, Professor Trinajstić was deeply committed to popularizing botany, contributing numerous articles to popular science publications.
Ivo Trinajstić was an outstanding scientist and a respected professor who generously shared his huge knowledge and experience. His unique understanding and appreciation of nature and plants brought a special, personal dimension to botany, one that will continue to inspire researchers for generations to come.
Professor Željko Škvorc
University of Zagreb
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology
Zagreb
Fig. 1. Professor Ivo Trinajstić (1933–2024).