Anna Shiyan Soviet botanist Date of Birth: 09.07.1905

1. Early Life and Education
2. Early Career in Armenia
3. Botanical Explorations and Research
4. Systematic Studies
5. Academic Activities
6. Legacy

Early Life and Education

Anna Semenovna Shkhiyan was born on July 9, 1905, in Tiflis to a pedagogic family. Her passion for natural sciences led her to enroll in the Agricultural Faculty of the Tiflis State Polytechnic Institute, which later became the Tiflis State University.

Early Career in Armenia

In 1929, Shkhiyan relocated to Armenia and played a role in the afforestation of the Arzni resort. She joined the Biological Sector of the Transcaucasian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Tbilisi in 1933, which became part of the newly established Botanical Institute in 1934.

Botanical Explorations and Research

Shkhiyan's tenure at the Botanical Institute witnessed her становление as a renowned botanist. She embarked on numerous floristic and geobotanical expeditions throughout the Caucasus, conducted taxonomic studies of complex genera and families, and defended several dissertations.

Her research contributed significantly to managing human activities in the Transcaucasus. She documented the winter pastures of Azerbaijan, surveyed the forests of Lower Kartalinia, and compiled a vegetation map and monograph of the region. Her investigations of wild fruit forests in Eastern Georgia were documented in the collection "Useful Plants."

Systematic Studies

Shkhiyan gained particular distinction for her systematic investigations, which formed the basis of her doctoral and candidate dissertations. Her candidate's dissertation on the taxonomy and distribution of Caucasian Muscari species (1944) remains a valuable reference today. The data were incorporated into major botanical publications, such as the eight-volume "Flora of Georgia" (1941-1952).

Her doctoral dissertation (1974) focused on the systematic study of the Dipsacaceae family in the Caucasus and was similarly reflected in subsequent publications on the region's flora.

Academic Activities

Shkhiyan lectured in Armenian on systematic and general botany at the Armenian Department of the Tbilisi Pedagogical Institute. After 1975, she resided in Yerevan and worked at the Institute of Botany of the Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. She participated in the preparation of the "Flora of Armenia" and handled complex genera. She actively contributed to the planned "Flora of the Caucasus" until her retirement in 1989.

Legacy

Anna Semenovna Shkhiyan's contributions to the study of the Caucasus flora left an enduring legacy. She authored nearly 50 scientific publications, including monographs and revisions of plant families. Her systematic studies were instrumental in advancing the understanding of plant diversity in the region and beyond.