Sofya Ruvinovna Shvartsman was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in January 1912. In 1930 S.R. Shvartsman finished secondary school attached to the Central Agrobiological Station of Young Naturalist and began to work as laboratory assistant - plant pathologist in Adamy Aul (Adygeya autonomous region, the Caucasus). In 1931-1936 she studied in the Biological Faculty of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). Then S.R. Shvartsman had postgraduate course at the Chair of Lower Plants MSU (1937-1940) under supervision of Professor L.I . Kursanov. In May 1940 S.R. Shvartsman get an appointment of senior lecturer at the Chair of Botany of Kazakh State University. Subsequently she headed this Chair till 1961. Simultaneously with educational work S.R. Shvartsman initiated the creation of the Department of Lower Plants Flora at the Botanical Institute of Kazakh SSR Academy of Scientists. Since 1943 she headed this Department pluralistically, continuing to work at the University. Since 1961 and till the end of life she concentrated on scientific-research work at the Botanical Institute. The main goal of the Department was preparation, writing and edition of multivolume fundamental work " Flora of Cryptogam Plants of Kazakhstan ". S.R. Shvartsman was initiator, organizer and editor-in-chief of this book. S.R. Shvartsman was organizer and participant and of numerous field trips to different regions of Kazakhstan. Tireless field researcher, she collected enormous mycological material on different systematic groups of fungi. During harsh years of the Great Patriotic war she organized expeditions to Northern Caucasus (1941, 1942). After the war S.R. Shvartsman covered by mycological investigations Eastern (1947) and Southern (1948, 1949) Kazakhstan, regularly made excursions to Zailiysky Alatau. She organized also annual expeditions of teachers and students of Kazakh University and the staff of the Department to collect specimens of fungi and cryptogam plants. In such a way was created the scientific basis for "Flora of Cryptogam Plants of Kazakhstan". The first volume of this edition, devoted to rust fungi and prepared by G.S. Nevodovsky, was published in 1956. The next second volume, written by S.R. Shvartsman (1960), was devoted to smut fungi. In the second volume 159 of species of order Ustilaginales representatives were described which were revealed on 193 species of plants, mainly representatives of families Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Liliaceae etc. S.R. Shvartsman ascertained that the most diverse were such genera: Ustilago, Urocystis, Entyloma, Tilletia and Sphacelotheca. She presented also original descriptions of 17 new species and 1 form of smut fungi, including: Ustilago lepyrodiclidis on Lepyrodiclis stellarioides, Thecaphora trigonella on Trigonella arcuata and T. cancellata, Entyloma eremuri on Eremurus tianschanicus, E. echinopsis on Echinops sphaerocephalus, Urocystis nevodovskyi on Ixiolirion tataricum. One year later the third volume of "Flora..." appeared, which was devoted to true mildew fungi of order Erysiphales. For this volume S.R. Shvartsman wrote the general part, keys for identification of genera of perfect and imperfect stages, species and forms of true mildew fungi according to families and genera of host plants. The separate genera of true mildew fungi were processed by progenies and colleagues of S.R. Shvartsman (M.P. Vasiagina, M.I. Kuznetsova and N.F. Pisareva). The fourth volume of edition, where heterobasidial (Auriculariales, Tremellales, Dacryomycetales) and auto basidial (Exobasidiales, Aphyllophorales) fungi were presented, was also written by S.R. Shvartsman (1964). This book included 219 species of above-named orders. The most diverse was order Aphyllophorales. Dominating position among families of this order occupied Polyporaceae. The most numerous genera were Phellinus, Coriolus, Inonotus, Polyporus, Tyromyces and Fomitopsis. Some taxa, including genera Femsjonia (F. altaica) and Sparassiella (S. longistipitata), were described by S.R. Shvartsman for the first time. In 1967-1968 the serial edition of "Flora..." was continued in a form of two books of fifth volume, devoted to imperfect fungi (Fungi imperfecti, Deuteromycetes) of order Sphaeropsidales. Altogether in three books of fifth volume 1032 species of this order were presented. At the first book S.R. Shvartsman gave all general part with characteristic of imperfect fungi morphology and also compiled keys for identification of deuteromycete orders, keys for identification of families of order Sphaeropsidales and genera within family Sphaeropsidaceae. At the second book the adaptation of 9 genera of Sphaeropsidales fungi, including Sphaeronaema, Dothiorella, Pycnorostrum, Sclerotiopsis, and one new species of genus Chaetonaemosphaera, was issued from S.R. Shvartsman' pen. The most numerous in species genera of Sphaeropsidales fungi Phyllosticta, Phoma, Phomopsis, Cytospora, Ascochyta, Coniothyrium, Diplodia presented in fifth volume by progenies and colleagues of S.R. Shvartsman (M.P. Vasiagina, Z.M. Bryzova, N.F. Pisareva and N.G. Deyeva). The third book of fifth volume included concluding information on order Sphaeropsidales, was published only in 1970. S.R. Shvartsman wrote the general part of this book, where she analyzed the peculiarities of Sphaeropsidales fungi of Kazakhstan distribution, worked up descriptions of families Nectrioideaceae, Excipulaceae and Leptostromataceae as well as genera, included in these families, keys for identification of genera of aforesaid families. Of special interest are keys for identification of representatives of large genera Septoria and Rhabdospora. In three books of the fifth volume about 30 new species of sphaeropsidales fungi, described by S.R. Shvartsman, are presented. Among them are Phyllosticta eutrematia on Eutrema integrifolium, Asteroma schrenkiae on Schrenkia congesta, Coniothyrium juniperi on Juniperus seravschanica, Ascochyta codonopsis on Codonopsis clematidea, Diplodia potentillae on Potentilla hololeuca, Camarosporium sympegmae on Sympegma regelii, Septoria coeloglossi on Coeloglossum viride etc. In 1970 the sixth volume of edition was published, which was devoted to Gasteromycetes. This book was written by S.R. Shvartsman and by her progeny N.M. Filimonova. It included 15 new for science species, described by S.R. Shvartsman personally or in co-authorship with N.M. Filimonova: Bovista kurgaldzhinica, B. kazachstanica, Tulostoma biostiolatum, T. kogaschiki, T. fuscoviolaceostipitatum, T. karagandaense. In 1971 in the seventh volume of edition of "Flora..." imperfect fungi of order Melanconiales were presented. S.R. Shvartsman wrote the general part of the volume, diagnoses of all genera and keys for identification of genera and species of melanconiales of Kazakhstan. The separate genera of the order were processed by M.P. Vasiagina, N.F. Pisareva and Z.M. Byzova. The volume included new 6 species of genera Gloeosporium, Melanconium, Steganosporium, Cylindrosporium described by S.R. Shvartsman. The last book of the edition, which was published during S.R. Shvartsman's life, was the first book of the eighth volume, devoted to imperfect fungi of order Moniliales. It was published in 1973. And S.R. Shvartsman died in 1975. To the last days of her life S.R. Shvartsman continued to work with manuscripts of the next volumes of "Flora...". She is the co-author of a number of volumes, which appeared in print after her death: the second book of the eighth volume, also devoted to fungi of order Moniliales, ninth volume, where discomycetes are presented etc. Progenies and colleagues of S.R. Shvartsman continued and completed the edition, which she initiated. At the beginning of the 1990s the author's staff of "Flora...", including S.R. Shvartsman (posthumously), was awarded the National Prize of Kazakhstanin in the field of Science and Technique. This was not the only reward, which was conferred scientific and educational work of Doctor of Sciences Shvartsman. She earned the degree of honoured worker of science of Kazakh SSR, was awarded medals and diplomas. Lists. Publications. Taxa. Kirk & Ansell form of name: Schwarzman.