About myself

CV

I was born in 1944, in the era of Hitler and Stalin. At the time of my birth Soviet (Russian) planes bombarded heavily my home city Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The main building of the university and a hothouse in the Botanical Garden, adjacent to the Botanical Museum, were among buildings that were hit. Luckily enough I did not get wounded unlike some of my newborn fellows in the same hospital.
 

Some of my ancestors

Genealogical research, such as that performed by my grandfather Leo Harmaja, has revealed that my roots extend to various parts of Finland, Europe and even Middle East. I myself have made use of both printed sources and the internet resources. The latter include both true sources with primary clarifications and easily viewable information extracted from printed sources. Please, note that none of the below relationships is solely through Erik Ångerman Sursill (1480-1550), a common ancestor of a considerable proportion of people in Finland. ― Printed and electronic sources.
    Concerning the philosophy of making family trees, please read two very interesting articles on Mark Humphry's web pages: here and here.
    In these days of the European Union, it was fascinating to find out that one forefather of mine, Charlemagne (742-814), made an effort to unite the core areas and nations of Europe while another one was killed in 1223 when defending the European territory against expansive hordes from the east: Mstislav III of Kiev at a battle against the mongols of Chinggis Khan.

University men among relatives

Like me, a great number of my forefathers and several other relatives made a career in our university (founded in Turku in 1640 but later transferred to Helsinki), such as Henrik Hassel (1700-1776), Johan Haartman (1725-1787), Pehr Adrian Gadd (1727-1797), Henrik Gabriel Porthan (1739-1804), Robert Henrik Rehbinder (1777-1841), Adolf Edvard Arppe (1818-1894), Arvid Genetz (1848-1915), Ernst Häyrén (1878-1957), Viljo Tarkiainen (1879-1951), Rafael Karsten (1879-1956), Leo Harmaja (1880-1949; original surname Schadewitz), Sven Segerstråle (1899-1994), Sven Krohn (1903-1999), Ernst Palmén (1916-1991), Göran Bergman (1919-1991), Nils Oker-Blom (1919-1995), Lars von Haartman (1919-1998), Max von Schantz (1922-2007), Martin Meinander (1940-2004), and Matti Klinge (1936-). Five of them ascended to become the rector of the university: Hassel, Porthan, Arppe, Palmén, and Oker-Blom (Rehbinder served as the Vice-Chancellor; Palmén and Oker-Blom finally became the Chancellor). The university has named three buildings or institutions in honour of three of them: Porthania, Arppeanum and Palmenia.
    Of the above university men, Gadd (partly), Häyrén, Segerstråle, Palmén, Bergman, and von Haartman were biologists. Another relative of mine, Arvid Th. Genetz (1852-1932), served as lecturer of botany and zoology in a teacher college. If he was not a mycologist like me, he anyway was a mycophile and some of a forerunner as he at that early time worked out a small mushroom guide for the public.
 

Interests

Manifold things have aroused my interest in different times. During the junior era my hobbies were especially astronomy, philately, the languages of the world, and the cultures of ancient China and Japan.
    I also began photographing early, but this hobby has only been pursued every now and then. Of the large photos below, the two first were taken by me in the Baltic island of Gotland, Sweden, in the year 1970 while the largest one has been taken in Finland in 1985; likewise many plant and other photos on these home pages are mine. Admittedly, their quality is far from excellent.
     It was not until the millenium change that I got the Internet connection with my computer. Since then, the Internet provided unexpectedly effective tools to, for instance, follow the achievements of the science. The first version of my website was published on May 12, 2000. As a result of my active computing, some unexpected subtle coding errors in Microsoft Word were revealed.
    I enjoy listening certain kinds of music such as Lili Marlene: at the time of my birth this song was still going strong and actively listened to on both sides of the front of the World War 2. As far as Finnish singers are concerned, I cannot fail mentioning Olavi Virta, Esa Pakarinen and M.A. Numminen as favourites of passed years.
    In youth I became fascinated by all kinds of the so-called paranormal phenomena, including ufo's and a most concrete mystery of recent years, the crop circles.
    I am also a hockey fan: let's have a glimpse of the final of the 1995 World Championship Tournament! Politics and other public affairs of Finland and the world are thoroughly followed by me through the media.
    Like everybody, I hope peace on earth but have anyway achieved the military rank of lieutenant; the evil empire unfortunately still exists.
 

The best Finnish hockey players of all times: forward Jari Kurri #17 (on the left) and defenceman Reijo 'Reksa' Ruotsalainen #26
Heimo Our planet system Crop circle People's artist  M.A. Numminen Jari Kurri & Reijo Ruotsalainen

Summer places

The summer place, named Heimo, of our clan has been an excellent base for getting acquainted with nature and for later field work such as the preliminary studies of my Ph.D. thesis. Heimo (one photo above, another here) and the summer place of my family, named Haapala (the photo lowest below shows a view towards the lake), are situated amidst a luxuriant greenness of nature near lakeshore with a sauna and give refreshment to a stressed body and soul.
 

Biology

Bird-watching was a hobby of mine at first. I even did some official ringing of birds and took part in winter bird censuses. Then I got interested in the plants, and somewhat later in different kinds of fungi, the fleshy fungi and the plants subsequently becoming the objects of professional work.
    The time from spring to autumn of the year 1960 was a most important era for my development as biologist. The highly esteemed Professor Mauno J. Kotilainen had asked me, then a senior school-boy, to assist him in botanical studies on rock outcrops in the Lohja region which was familiar to me (by the way, the rock outcrops may reveal non-botanical surprises...). Actually, he encouraged me to take up studying the macrofungi, a domain which had been left rather neglected in Finland since the time of P. A. Karsten. The deliciousness of asparagus was among things I learnt by Professor Kotilainen during that growing season which unfortunately turned out to be his last to hill up and harvest this vegetable in his garden.
    Likewise, two outstanding taxonomists of the 1900's, Dr. Gunnar Marklund and Professor Risto Tuomikoski, had a very important influence for my career.
    In my youth,  participating in the activities of Luonto-Liitto (The Finnish Nature League: the Finnish youth federation for the study and conservation of nature) was also very fruitful. I attended three summer camps of Luonto-Liitto (Ahvenanmaa (Aland) 1962, Kuusamo 1963, Ahvenanmaa 1965), and especially those arranged in Ahvenanmaa by the sea were unforgettable.

 

A view towards the Baltic Sea from the inside of a famous voluminous cave named 'Stora Förvar' in the island Stora Karlsö near Gotland, Sweden. Rich archaeological evidence indicates a long-term settlement in the cave under the Stone Age. The famous rauk named 'Jungfru Maria' (the Virgin Mary). This kind of statue-like stone formations were developed in the Ice Age and are not infrequent on the limestone island of Gotland, Sweden. If you observe the pillar from a certain direction, you may discern the Blessed Virgin holding the Child Jesus on her knee.

 

A forest lake in a warm summer evening when the shores are lighted by the setting sun (Haapala, Central Finland).

Latest revision September 30, 2010.

Home

General

 Research

Vascular plants

Carex atavisms

Teaching

Archaeology

Publications

 List of novelties

      Links