August von Hayek

Who was August von Hayek?

August von Hayek was an Austrian physician and botanist born in Vienna. He was the son of naturalist Gustav von Hayek and the father of economist Friedrich von Hayek.

In 1895 he obtained his medical doctorate from the University of Vienna, followed by his PhD in 1905. Beginning in 1922, he taught classes at the Hochschule für Bodenkultur in Vienna, and from 1926, he was an associate professor at the university. He died in 1928 in Vienna.

He is remembered for phytogeographical investigations that took place within the Austria-Hungarian Empire, in particular, Styria and the Balkans. He also conducted detailed studies on the historical development of flora found along the eastern and southeastern edge of the Alps. In the field of plant systematics, he specialized in Centaurea species native to Austria-Hungary.