In memoriam of Professor Waldemar Buchwald (1962–2020) on the first anniversary of his passing

Professor Waldemar Buchwald was born on August 26th, 1962 in Poznań (Poland). He obtained the degree in Environmental Biology at the Faculty of Biology of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. As an intern he started working at the Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences (Adam Mickiewicz University), and then he joined the Research Institute of Medicinal Plants in Poznań (currently Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants – National Research Institute) as an assistant. Working in the Department of Botany under the management of Prof. Jan Kozłowski, he progressed through his academic career, even as the organisational structure of the Institute changed, and departments were renamed. In 1998 he received a PhD at the Faculty of Horticulture, Agricultural Academy in Poznań (currently Poznań University of Life Sciences) based on a dissertation entitled “Biological and phytochemical characteristics of Betonica officinalis L. and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge in order to introduce them into cultivation”. Since 1999 he managed the Laboratory of Ecology, which was the part of the Department of Botany. In 2002, Professor Waldemar Buchwald took over as the head of the Department of Botany, after the retirement of Prof. Jan Kozłowski. The Department of Botany and the Department of Breeding and Agricultural Technology were merged in 2006, to become the Department of Botany, Breeding and Agricultural Technology with Prof. Buchwald as its head. Then, after a merger of the Research Institute of Medicinal Plants and the Institute of Natural Fibres, he became the head of Branch of Medicinal Plants (2009–2010), and later, a medicinal plants coordinator (2010–2011) at the newly created Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants. In 2014, he received habilitation degree in agricultural sciences at the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (Poznań University of Life Sciences) with a work entitled “Red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge) – study of introduction to cultivation, effectiveness of obtaining biologically active compounds and biological activity of extracts”. In 2018, he became a professor of the Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants. He remained the head of the Department of Botany, Breeding and Agricultural Technology of Medicinal Plants until his passing. Professor Waldemar Buchwald was a prominent expert in medicinal plants and herbalism. He carried out numerous scientific projects, ranging from agricultural technology of medicinal plants, protection of their natural resources, seed biology, taxonomy, morphological and phytochemical variability of selected species, as well as their biological activity. In collaboration with other research institutions, Professor took part in pharmacological studies of Salvia miltiorrhiza, S. przewalskii, Echinacea purpurea, Rhodiola rosea, Rh. kirilowii, Platycodon grandiflorum as well as Chelidonium majus. He spent a lot of his time and energy on the Garden of Medicinal Plants and beautiful old park in Plewiska near Poznań. Professor also curated the collection of rare and protected medicinal plants. His scientific interest was mainly dedicated to S. miltiorrhiza. Professor Buchwald initiated the research into red sage and continued it throughout his career, analysing biology of this plant, acDOI: 10.2478/hepo-2021-0028 Received: 2021-10-10 Accepted: 2021-11-15 Available online: 2021-12-28