| Birth Date: | 25 April 1883 |
| Birth Place: | Neu-Ulm, Swabia, Bavaria, Germany |
| Fields: | Plant genetics |
| Workplaces: | University of Munich, University of Jena |
| Education: | University of Munich, University of Leipzig |
| Academic Advisors: | Karl von Goebel, Ludwig Radlkofe, Wilhelm Pfeffer |
| Known For: | Establishing the theory of maternal plastid inheritance |
| Awards: | Foreign Member of the Royal Society, International member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, American Philosophical Society |
| Author Abbrev Bot: | Renner |
Otto Renner [1] (25 April 1883 in Neu-Ulm – 8 July 1960) was a German plant geneticist. Following the work of Erwin Baur, Renner established the theory of maternal plastid inheritance as a widely accepted genetic theory.
He studied botany under Karl von Goebel and Ludwig Radlkofer at the University of Munich, and with Wilhelm Pfeffer at the University of Leipzig. From 1913 to 1920 he served as an associate professor of plant physiology at Munich, and afterwards, succeeded Christian Ernst Stahl as chair of botany at the University of Jena, where he was also director of the botanical gardens.[2] In 1946, he returned as a professor to the University of Munich.[3]
Renner worked with plants from the genus Oenothera (evening primroses). His research of hybrid forms of Oenothera contributed significantly to the understanding of mutations.[3]
From 1932 to 1943 he was editor of the botanical journal Flora.[3] He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society[1] and an International member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[4] the United States National Academy of Sciences,[5] and the American Philosophical Society.[6] The plant genus Rennera (family Asteraceae) was named in his honor by Hermann Merxmüller.[7]