The Botanical Expeditions of Luís Carrisso to Angola

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Between 1927 and 1937, the Portuguese botanist and University of Coimbra professor Luís Wittnich Carrisso (1886–1937) led three scientific expeditions to Angola, in 1927, 1929 and 1937. During these expeditions, Carrisso and his collaborators travelled extensively across the territory, collecting thousands of botanical specimens and documenting the remarkable diversity of Angolan flora. The third expedition, in 1937, was Carrisso's last. He died on 14 June 1937 in the Namib Desert, in Angola, during the expedition. The specimens and records resulting from these journeys therefore also preserve the legacy of a major period in the history of botanical exploration in Angola. The specimens collected during these expeditions are today an important part of the historical botanical collections preserved in several important herbaria. Beyond their taxonomic value, they provide a unique record of the distribution of plant species and of the landscapes and environments of Angola nearly a century ago.