Sachs, Julius von

Sachs, Julius von

(fə zäks), 1832–97, German botanist. A professor at the Univ. of Würzburg from 1868, he was a founder of experimental plant physiology. He demonstrated the importance of transpiration in plants and the role of chlorophyll; his researches on plant metabolism were a major contribution. He was the teacher of many eminent European botanists. Among his works are the famous Textbook of Botany (1868, tr. 1882), which first combined knowledge gained in various branches of modern botany; Lectures on Physiology (1882, tr. 1887); and History of Botany (1875, tr. 1890).