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Chellapilla Venkata Rao (1910–1971) was an Indian botanist.

Education

He was awarded his PhD from the University of Tasmania in 1957 with a thesis entitled Cytotaxonomic studies in the Proteaceae.

Academic appointments

He worked in the Department of Botany, Andhra University, Waltair, from 1948 to 1967. During this period he worked for three years on the Palmaceae as a senior post-doctoral fellow of the National Institute of Science of India. 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). 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.

Research interests

A major interest was the family Proteaceae, and in 1971, CSIR published his monograph on the family. The monograph was said by J.P.Rourke of the Compton Herbarium, himself a specialist in Proteaceae, to be

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.

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."

Within the Proteaceae, he authored the tribes, Macadamieae and Lambertieae (basionym of Lambertiinae) (both now subsumed into the Grevilleoideae). He also worked on other families, in particular, the Sterculiaceae, Malvaceae and Bombacaceae (now subsumed in an enlarged Malvaceae), and also Euphorbiaceae, Elaeocarpaceae and Apocynaceae.

His work centred on plant anatomy, morphology and embryology and also involved other families.

The standard author abbreviation Venk.Rao is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.

References

1. ^ Sreeramulu, T. 1972. "C. Venkata Rao (1910–1971)". Phytomorphology. 22: 97–98. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
2. ^ "International Plant Name Index: author". 20017705-1. 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
3. Wiltshire, R.J.E.; Stace, H.M (1997). "The cytotaxonomy of four Tasmanian genera of Proteaceae". Telopea. 7 (3): 181–185. doi:10.7751/telopea19971010. ISSN 0312-9764. pdf
4. ^ Venkata Rao, C. 1959. Contributions to the Palmae I. Selaleae. Proceedings of the National Institute of Sciences in India 25B: 143–168
5. ^ Venkata Rao, C (1959). "Contributions to the Palmae II. Caroxylineae". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 38: 46–75.
6. Venkata Rao, C (1957). "Cytotaxonomy of the Proteaceae". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 82: 257–271.
7. Venkata Rao, C. 1970. "Studies in the Proteaceae XIV Tribe Macadamieae" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018. (Journal unknown, pp.345–363)
8. Venkata Rao, C. (1960). "Studies in the Proteaceae. I Tribe Persoonieae" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Inst. Sci. India. 26B: 300–337.
9. Venkata Rao, C. (1969). "Studies in the Proteaceae. IX Australian Proteeae" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Inst. Sci. India. 35B: 205–229.
10. Venkata Rao, C. (1969). "Studies in the Proteaceae. XIII Tribe Grevilleeae" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Inst. Sci. India. 35B: 471–486.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Venkata Rao, C. (1967). "Evolution of the endosperm in Proteaceae". New Phytol. 66 (4): 755–768. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1967.tb05443.x. JSTOR 2430463.
14. Venkata Rao, C. (1967). "Morphology of the nectary in Proteaceae". New Phytol. 66: 99–107. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1967.tb05992.x.
15. Venkata Rao, C. (1967). "Studies in the Proteaceae. VIII Morphology, floral anatomy and embryology of Grevillea R.Br" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Inst. Sci. India. 33B: 162–199.
16. Venkata Rao, C. (1965). "Pollen grains in Proteaceae". Journal of Palynology. 1: 1–9.
17. Venkata Rao, C (1963). "Studies in the Proteaceae. 3. Tribe Oriteae". Proceedings of the National Institute of Sciences of India. 29: 489–510.
18. Venkata Rao, C. 1959. Studies in the Proteaceae X. Morphology and embryology of Hakea Schrad. J. Indian Bot. Soc. 48: 310–321.
19. ^ Venkata Rao, C. 1970. Rao, C. V. (1970). "Studies in the Proteaceae. XIV. tribe Macadamieae". Proc Natl Inst Sci India. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
20. Venkata Rao, Chellapilla; Rao, C (1971), Proteaceae (pp.208), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, retrieved 31 May 2018
21. Rourke, J. P. (1973). "Review of Proteceae. Botanical Monographs No. 6". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 48 (2): 369–370. doi:10.1086/407637. JSTOR 2820587.
22. 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. JSTOR 4119808.
23. "APNI: Australian Plant Name Index: Macadamieae". Retrieved 31 May 2018.
24. "APNI: Australian Plant Name Index: Lambertieae". Retrieved 31 May 2018.
25. Rao, C.V. (1949). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – I.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 28: 180–197.
26. Venkata Rao, C. 1950. Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – II. Waltheria indica L. J. Indian Bot. Soc. 29: 163–176.
27. Rao, C.V. (1951). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – III. Melochia corchorifolia L.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 30: 122–131.
28. 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.
29. Venkata Rao, C (1953). "Contributions to the embryology of Sterculiaceae – V.". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32: 208–238.
30. ^ 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.
31. Rao, C.V. (1952). "The embryology of Muntingia calabura L.". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 31: 87–101.
32. Rao, C.V. (1954). "Embryological studies in Malvaceae I. Development of gametophytes" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Institute of Sciences of India. 20: 127–150.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. Venkata Rao, C (1952). "Occurrence of persistent pollen tubes in Malvaceae". Curr. Sci. 24: 49.
36. Rao C.V. 1954. Rao, C. Venkata (1954). "A contribution to the embryology of Bombacaceae". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Section B. 39 (2): 51–75. doi:10.1007/BF03050373. S2CID 80871743. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
37. 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.
38. Venkata Rao, C (1953). "Floral anatomy and embryology of two species of Elaeocarpus". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32: 21–33.
39. Venkata Rao, C.; Rama Rao, S. (1954). "Embryology of Cryptostegia grandiflora R. Br. and Caralluma attenuata Wt". J. Indian Bot. Soc. 32: 21–33.
40. Venkata Rao, C (1964). "On the morphology of the calyculus". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 42: 618–628.
41. Venkata Rao, C (1961). "Pollen types in the Epacridaceae". Journal of the Indian Botanical Society. 40: 409–423.
42. International Plant Names Index.  Venk.Rao.

• 1910 births
• 1971 deaths
• 20th-century Indian botanists
• University of Tasmania alumni