Lidiya Ivanovna Savich-Lyubitskaya was an outstanding Soviet botanist, professor, and the founder of the Russian bryological school. ¹’²
L.I. was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Governorate of Russian Empire (modern day Daugavpils, Latvia), on October 24, 1886, to the family of a teacher. After graduating from the Minsk Gymnasium, she was teaching in a Girl’s Junior Pre-Gymnasium and Boy’s 6th-grade School. In 1908, L.I. became a student of the Higher Women’s Natural Sciences Courses of M.A. Lokhvitskaya-Skalon, St.-Petersburg, which she graduated from in 1917. This institution played a key role in the development of women’s scientific education in early 20th century Russia, and was notable for employing distinguished professors, including future academicians. In 1908 L.I. also obtained a job at the Department of Lower Spore Plants of the Botanical Garden of Peter the Great (presently the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences) as a lab assistant in the Kamchatka scientific expedition. In 1912, on V.L. Komarov’s recommendation, L.I. was invited by Professor V.G. Tranzschel to the Botanical Museum of the Academy of Sciences to do research on mosses. After a year, L.I. started working as a bryologist in the Botanical Garden, and all her further life and scientific activity would be connected to these two institutions, which were subsequently combined into the Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. ²’³’?
L.I.’s interest in bryophyte studies was also an inspiration to her students. Disseminating new knowledge and engaging a new generation of researchers, in 1925, L.I. in collaboration with V.P. Savich organized a Bryology and Lichenology Club, in which I.D. Bogdanovskaya-Gienef, A.A. Korchagin, Z.N. Smirnova and other future famous Russian botanists, were involved.²
In 1934, as a leading bryology expert, L.I. obtained a doctor of biological sciences degree, based on the totality of her works. Awarded by the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences, the degree was conferred without the public defense of a dissertation. In 1938, she was appointed to head the bryological sector of the Department of Spore Plants at the Botanical Institute. ?
L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya is rightfully considered to be the first professional Russian bryologist. ²’³ Her contribution to the development of the national sciences embraces almost all range of topics concerning bryophyte studies – from flora to physiology, biochemistry to practical uses. A colossal amount of work has been done by L.I. on floristic inventory of mosses in many regions of the Soviet Union, with personal participation in field expeditions – across North Caucasus, Karelia, Crimea, Central Russia, Kola Peninsula (Russian Arctic) and others. The appearance of a bryological sector of the Department of Spore Plants in the Botanical Institute, led by L.I., laid the foundation for the creation of one of the world’s largest collections of bryophytes in the Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute (LE), presently totaling over 300,000 specimens of mosses, liverworts and hornworts from all around the world.
During the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) L.I. actively cooperated with Soviet physicians, having begun studying the prospects of using Sphagnum moss for dressing wounds. As a result these methods have been widely used in hospitals. ¹’²’³’?
The treatment of multiple collections resulted in the publication of comprehensive manuals and handbooks. The most fundamental works known by L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya are two volumes of “Flora of Spore Plants of the USSR” (1952 & 1954), “Handbook of the mosses of the Arctic of the USSR” (1961, co-auth. A.L. Abramova & Z.N. Smirnova), “Manual of Sphagnum mosses of the USSR” (1968, co-auth. Z.N. Smirnova), and “Handbook of the mosses of the USSR. Acrocarpous mosses” (1970, co-auth. Z.N. Smirnova).
L.I. curated exsiccatae series of bryophytes “Hepaticae et Musci URSS exsiccati”, which facilitated duplicate specimens exchange with foreign colleagues. She officially retired in 1963, but long after that she still actively worked as a bryology consultant. Her last paper was published at the age of 90.¹’? She subsequently worked on her autobiography, the manuscript of which is presently kept in the library of the Laboratory of Lichenology and Bryology of the Komarov Botanical Institute.
L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya is considered a successor of Professor A. A. Elenkin, the founder of a Russian school of cryptogamic botany, but a plethora of specialists in the field of bryology grew up under L.I.’s leadership, including world-known scientists: Z.N. Smirnova, I.V. Dylevskaya, R.N. Shlyakov, L.V. Bardunov, V. Ya. Ardeeva/ Cherdantseva and others.
Two moss genera were named in honor of L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya: Lidiaea Laz. (Pottiaceae) and SavicziaAbramova & I.I. Abramov (Plagiotheciaceae), and two moss species: Bryum savicziae Schljak. (Bryaceae) and the fossil Echinodium savicziae Abramova & I.I. Abramov (Echinodiaceae). ²’?’?
For outstanding service to the state and science, L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and medals “For the Defence of Leningrad” and “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”. ²’³
????? ???????? ?????-???????? (1886-1982)
????? ???????? ?????-???????? – ?????????? ????????? ???????, ?????????, ?????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ?????.¹’²
?.?. ???????? ? ??????? ????????? ???????? ?????????? ??????? (???? – ??????????, ??????), 24 ??????? 1886 ?., ? ????? ???????. ????? ????????? ??????? ???????? ??????????? ? ??????? ??????????? ? ??????? 6-???????? ???????. ? 1908 ?. ?.?. ????????? ?? ?????? ???????????-??????? ??????? ????? ?????????-??????, ?. ?????-?????????, ? ???????? ?? ? 1917 ?. ??? ??????? ????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ? ???????? ???????? ???????? ??????????? ? ?????? ?????? XX???? ? ????????? ???????????? ? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???????? ??????????? ?????? ???????, ??????? ??????? ??????????. ? 1908 ?. ?.?. ?????? ????? ???????? ? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ????????????? ???? ????? ???????? (???? ???????????? ???????? ??. ?.?. ???????? ???) ? ???????? ??????????? ?????????? ??????? ??????????. ? 1912 ?. ?? ????????? ?? ???????????? ?.?. ???????? ????. ?.?. ???????? ? ???????????? ????? ???????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ????. ????? ??? ?.?. ????? ???????? ??? ??????? ? ???????????? ????, ? ??? ?? ?????????? ??????? ???????????? ????????? ? ???? ???? ???????????, ???????????? ????????? ? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? (??? ?? ????).²’³’?
??????? ?.?. ? ?????????????? ????????????? ????? ?????????? ? ?? ????????. ???????? ? ?????????? ?????????????? ?????? ? ????? ??????, ? 1925 ?. ?.?. ????????? ? ?.?. ??????? ???????????? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ???????????, ? ??????? ????????? ??????? ?.?. ????????????-??????, ?.?. ????????, ?.?. ???????? ? ?????? ? ??????? ????????? ?????????? ????????.²
? 1934 ?. ?.?., ??? ???????? ???????????-????????, ??????????? ?? ???? ???? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ????????????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????????? ???????????. ? 1938 ?. ??? ???? ????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??? ?? ????. ?
?.?. ?????-???????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? ?????????. ²’³ ?? ????? ? ???????? ????????????? ????????? ?????????? ????? ???? ???? ????????, ????????? ? ????????? ???????????? – ?? ????? ?? ??????????, ???????? ? ?????????????? ?????????????. ?.?. ??? ???????? ???????????? ?????
????? ?? ?????????????? ?????????????? ???? ????????? ???????? ?????????? ?????, ? ?????? ???????? ?? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? – ?? ????????? ???????, ???????, ?????, ??????? ??????, ????????? ??????????? ? ?????????? ??????? ? ??. ????????? ??????????????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ? ???????????? ?????????, ?????????????? ?.?., ???????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ?????????? ? ???? ??????? ????????? ????????????? ????????? ??. ?.?. ???????? (LE), ? ????????? ????? ?????????????? ????? 300.000 ???????? ????, ???????????? ? ????????????? ?? ????? ????.
? ?????? ??????? ????????????? ????? ?.?. ??????? ???????????? ? ?????????? ???????? ?? ??????? ????????????? ??????? ??? ????????????? ???????? ??? ??????? ???????. ??? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????????? ? ??????????. ¹’²’³’?
?????????? ????????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ????????? ???????? ? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ??????-?????????????. ????? ????????? ? ??????????????? ?????? ?.?. ???????? ??? ???? “????? ???????? ???????? ????” (1952 ? 1954 ??.), “???????????? ???? ??????? ????” (1961, ?????. ?.?. ???????? ? ?.?. ????????), “???????????? ????????? ???? ????” (1968, ?????. ?.?. ????????) ? “???????????? ??????????????? ???? ????. ???????????? ???” (1970, ?????. ?.?. ????????).
?.?. ?????????? ??????? ????? ??????? ????????? “Hepaticae et Musci URSS exsiccati”, ??? ?????????????? ?????????? ?????? ????????? ? ??????????? ??????????. ? 1963 ?. ??? ?????????? ????? ?? ??????, ?? ??? ????? ???????? ? ???????? ????????-????????????. ?? ????????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ? ???????? 90 ???. ¹’? ???????????? ?.?. ???????? ??? ?????????? ?????????????; ??? ???????? ???????? ? ?? ??? ???? ? ?????????? ??????????? ??????????? ? ????????? ????.
?.?.?????-???????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????? ?.?. ????????, ???????????? ??????????? ?????????? ????? ???????????? ????????. ??? ???????????? ?.?. ??????? ????? ?????? ????????????? ????????????-????????? – ?.?. ????????, ?.?. ?????????, ?.?. ??????, ?.?. ????????, ?.?. ???????/?????????? ? ??.
? ????? ?.?. ?????-???????? ??????? ??? ???? ???? – Lidiaea Laz. (Pottiaceae) ? Saviczia Abramova & I.I. Abramov (Plagiotheciaceae) ? ??? ????? ???? ???? – Bryum savicziae Schljak. (Bryaceae) ? ?????????? Echinodium savicziae Abramova & I.I. Abramov (Echinodiaceae). ²’?’?
?? ?????????? ??????? ????? ?????????? ? ?????????????? ?????????? ? ????? ?.?. ?????-???????? ???? ?????????? ??????? ??????, ??????? ????????? ???????? ???????, ???????? “?? ??????? ??????????” ? “?? ?????????? ???? ? ??????? ????????????? ????? 1941-1945 ??.” ²’³
References
¹ Lidiya Savich-Lyubitskaya. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidiya_Savich-Lyubitskaya
² ????????, ?.?., ?.?. ????????, ?.?. ?????? [Bardunov, L.V., A.F. Bachurina & R.N. Schlyakov]. 1985.?????? ????? ???????? ?????-???????? [In memory of Lidia Ivanovna Savich-Lyubitskaya]. ???. ????. 20 (2): 278-283.
³ ????????, ?.?., ?.?. ???????? [Abramova, A.L. & Z.N. Smirnova]. 1956. ?.?. ?????-???????? (? 70-????? ?? ??? ????????) [L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya: On 70th birthday]. ???.????. 41 (10): 1555-1564.
? ??????? ?.?. [Afonina O.M.] 2026, Feb 3-4. Pers. comm.
? ???????, ?.?. [Abramov, I.I.] 1989. 70 ??? ????????? ????????? [70th anniversary of Soviet bryology]. ? ??.: ???????? ????????? ? ????. ?.: ?????, C. 3-5.
? Tropicos. 2026. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO. Website: www.tropicos.org[accessed 6 February 2026].
Y.I. Kosovich-Anderson
My gratitude is extended to O.M. Afonina who shared rare photographs of L.I. Savich-Lyubitskaya for this publication and contributed to the text.