Árbol genealógico botánico de Gonzalo Mateo Sanz

In this paper we explain the historical evolution of valencian Botany science to the prestigious figure of Dr. Gonzalo Mateo Sanz. We divide it into 4 periods. In the first period (XI and XII centuries) the study of plants was motivated by medicinal uses; there, we can highlight the botanist Abbu-S-Salt Umayya. Along the second period (XIII-XVII) the study of plants due to their medical interest continued on. For that period the figures of Arnau de Vilanova, Muhammad Al Shafra, Pere Jaume Esteve, Joan Placa and Jaime Honorato Pomar can be remarked. Joan Placa created the botanical garden of the University of Valencia. During the third period (XVII-XIX) the study of plants was considered as a main matter per se, and not only because of their medicinal properties. We can stand out Tomas Vilanova y Poyanos, Jose Salvador Ximenez Peset, Antonio Josef Cavanilles y Palop, Vicente Alonso Lorente, Simon de Rojas Clemente y Rubio, Jose Pizcueta y Donday and Jose Salvador Benedicto. There is no doubt that the more relevant author for this period was Cavanilles. During the fourth period (XIX onwards) there was a division of the Botany specialists. On the one hand Eduard Bosca Casasnoves, Francisco Beltran Bigorra and Ignacio Docavo Alberti in the University of Valencia; and on the other hand, Carlos Pau Espanol, Manuel Calduch Almela, Abelardo Rigual Magallon, Jose Borja y Carbonell and Josep Mansanet i Mansanet worked in their own drugstores, studying the plants. Without any doubt the second group of botanists contributed largely to the botanical knowledge. Finally, Dr. Mansanet obtained a chair of botany and became PhD supervivor of Gonzalo Mateo Sanz. Dr. Mateo became a great botanist, contributing notably to the knowledge of Iberian flora, as well as being a referent to a lot of current botanists