Birger Kajanus

Swedish botanist and lichenologist (1882-1931).

Birger Kajanus (born Birger Nilsson; 20 November 1882 – 5 August 1931) was a Swedish botanist, geneticist, plant breeder and lichenologist. As a young student at Lund University he published pioneering work on lichens, proposing a new theory of soredia and isidia formation, and participated in early lichenological exploration of the Sarek mountains in northern Sweden. He later became a leading figure at the plant-breeding station Weibullsholm near Landskrona, where he carried out extensive Mendelian studies on beetroot, poppy and wheat and bred several successful crop varieties, notably the wh