Chellapilla Venkata Rao (1910–1971) was an Indian botanist.[2]
Education
He was awarded his PhD from the University of Tasmania in 1957 with a thesis entitled Cytotaxonomic studies in the Proteaceae.[3]
Academic appointments
He worked in the Department of Botany, Andhra University, Waltair, from 1948 to 1967.[1] During this period he worked for three years on the Palmaceae[4][5] as a senior post-doctoral fellow of the National Institute of Science of India.[1] From 1955 to 1957, under the Colombo plan as a post-doctoral research scholar working with H.N. Barber at the University of Tasmania, he received a PhD (in addition to his earlier D.Sc. from Andhra University – for work on Malvaceae).[1] From 1967 until his death in 1971, he was head of the department of botany, Andhra University Postgraduate Centre, Guntur, India, where he both taught and wrote.[1]
a broad survey of the whole family on the basis of the anatomy and morphology of the leaves, stems, inflorescences, flowers, and fruits of representative species from most of the living genera. Embryological features are treated in detail and accounts of the cytology and fossil records are also provided....As the leading researcher on this family, Venkata Rao has, not unnaturally, drawn heavily on his own work but has nevertheless succeeded in dealing with the literature as a whole in a comprehensive manner.[21]
A second reviewer, Ronald Melville (of Kew Gardens), disagreed with Rao's phylogenetic and evolutionary conclusions but thought that many would be grateful to Venkata Rao "for bringing together in one volume such a detailed, comparative account of the vegetative and floral morphology and anatomy, the cytology and embryology, which will make it a valuable work of reference for a long time to come."[22]
^Venkata Rao, C. (1970). "Studies in the Proteaceae. XII Floral morphology, floral anatomy and embryology of Aulax Berg. with a discussion n the taxonomic position of the genus". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 48: 238–251.
^Venkata Rao, C. (1968). "Studies in the Proteaceae. XI Morphology, floral anatomy and embryology of Lambertia Sm. with a discussion n the taxonomic position of the genus". Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 48B: 11–24. doi:10.1007/BF03051697.
^Venkata Rao, Chellapilla; Rao, C (1971), Proteaceae (pp.208), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, retrieved 31 May 2018
^Rourke, J. P. (1973). "Review of Proteceae. Botanical Monographs No. 6". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 48 (2): 369–370. doi:10.1086/407637. JSTOR2820587.
^Melville, R. Melville, R; Rao, C. Venkata (1973). "Review: C. Venkata Rao. Proteaceae Botanical Monograph". Kew Bulletin. 28 (2): 338–339. doi:10.2307/4119808. JSTOR4119808.
^Rao, C.V. (1949). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – I.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 28: 180–197.
^Venkata Rao, C. 1950. Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – II. Waltheria indica L. J. Indian Bot. Soc. 29: 163–176.
^Rao, C.V. (1951). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – III. Melochia corchorifolia L.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 30: 122–131.
^Rao, C.V. (1952). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae -IV. Development of the gametophytes in Pterospermum suberifolium Lam". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 31: 250–260.
^Venkata Rao, C (1953). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – V.". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32: 208–238.
^ abVenkata Rao, C (1952). "Floral anatomy of some Malvales and its bearing on the affinities of families included in the order". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 31: 171–203.
^Rao, C.V. (1952). "The embryology of Muntingia calabura L.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 31: 87–101.
^Rao, C.V; Rao, K.V.S. (1952). "A contribution to the embryology of Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq. & Corchorus acutangulus L.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 31: 56–68.
^Venkata Rao, C. 1952. Floral anatomy of some Malvales and its bearing on the affinities of families included in the order. J. Indian Bot. Soc. 31: 171–203.
^Venkata Rao, C (1952). "Occurrence of persistent pollen tubes in Malvaceae". Curr. Sci. 24: 49.
^Venkata Rao, C (1971). "Anatomy of the inflorescence of Euphorbiaceae. With a discussion on the phylogeny and evolution of the inflorescence including the cyathium". Bot. Noti. Ser. 124: 39–64.
^Venkata Rao, C (1953). "Floral anatomy and embryology of two species of Elaeocarpus". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32: 21–33.
^Venkata Rao, C.; Rama Rao, S. (1954). "Embryology of Cryptostegia grandiflora R. Br. and Caralluma attenuata Wt". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32: 21–33.
^Venkata Rao, C (1964). "On the morphology of the calyculus". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 42: 618–628.
^Venkata Rao, C (1961). "Pollen types in the Epacridaceae". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 40: 409–423.