Pieter Baas

Pieter Baas
Pieter Baas in a 2005 portrait by Carla Rodenberg ()
Born	(1944-04-28) 28 April 1944 (age 73) Wieringermeer, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	Leiden University
Awards	Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2000) Linnean Medal (2003)
Scientific career
Fields	Botany, plant systematics, wood anatomy
Institutions	Leiden University, National Herbarium of the Netherlands
Thesis	Comparative anatomy of Ilex, Nemopanthus, Sphenostemon, Phelline, and Oncotheca (1975)

Pieter Baas (born 28 April 1944) is a Dutch botanist. He is an emeritus professor of plant systematics at Leiden University. He served as director of the Rijksherbarium () of Leiden University between 1991 and 1999. When the institute was faced with budget cuts in 1993 he managed to preserve the collection by joining it with the university collections of Wageningen and Utrecht. This led to the founding of the National Herbarium of the Netherlands in 1999. Baas subsequently became director of the institute and served until 2005. As a botanist Baas specializes in wood anatomy.

Baas was born on 28 April 1944 in the municipality of Wieringermeer. He attended the MULO and later the HBS.

Baas grew up with a broad interest in science. At age 17, while harvesting potatoes he saw a Natterjack toad crossing a path, appreciated the beauty of nature and decided to study natural history after earlier having contemplated studying history.

In 1962 Baas started studying biology at Leiden University. In his first year of biology Baas hated plant systematics as he hardly knew any plants or animals. He preferred plant anatomy and physiology. While studying he was offered a job at the Rijksherbarium (), the herbarium of Leiden University, by its director Cornelis Gijsbert Gerrit Jan van Steenis. Baas rejected the offer, having no interest in working in a herbarium. For his final year of studying Baas wished to stay at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Van Steenis agreed to this if Baas took up a course of systematics. Between 1968 and 1969 Baas studied at the Royal Botanic Gardens under Professor C.R. Metcalfe (). On his return from the United Kingdom Baas approached Van Steenis and asked to be employed as a wood anatomy expert. In 1969 Baas became an employee of the Rijksherbarium.