The Perennial Post

Celebrating Linnaeus

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus, arguably the greatest naturalist in the world, with celebrations worldwide. The Northwest Perennial Alliance has the honor of spearheading the events in Seattle, with several programs to recognize Linnaeus.

But who was Linnaeus?

Carolus Linnaeus was born in 1707 in the province of Småland in Southern Sweden. His father, Nils, was a keen amateur botanist and the parish priest. Although Nils hoped that his son would follow him into the priesthood, Carolus showed no interest and instead studied medicine at the University of Lund. Dissatisfied with the coursework after one year, he transferred to the University of Uppsala, the premier Swedish university, where he enjoyed his work with medicinal plants and formed deep friendships with Olof Rudbeck and Olof Celsius. He transferred to the University of Harderwijk in the Netherlands, where he graduated in a very short time with a degree in medicine.

Achievements

After he published his famous Systema Naturae in 1735, Linnaeus studied further at Leiden. He contacted many of the leading European botanists and traveled widely, before returning to practice medicine in Stockholm. Although he lectured and saw patients, his highest achievement in Stockholm was helping establish the Royal Academy of Sciences and he served as its first President.

In 1739, Linnaeus married Sara Elisabeth Moraea, as it was now clear to her father that Carolus could support a wife. They had eight children, with one dying at age three.

In 1740 Linnaeus was named Professor of Medicine in Uppsala and was responsible for the botanical garden. He became secretary of the Royal Swedish Society of Sciences in Uppsala and the following year he published his books Flora Suecica and Fauna Suecica. In 1747 Linnaeus was appointed senior physician, a great honor. In the same year, he became the only Swede to become a member of the Academy of Science in Berlin. He later became a member of several Academies, such as Russia, France and Philadelphia.

When he was “ennobled” by the Swedish king in 1761, Carolus Linnaeus took the name Carl von Linné and is known by that name in Sweden. He continued to publish his work in Latin using the name Carolus Linnaeus.

Students

A popular lecturer, Linnaeus drew students from all over Europe and he often entertained them at his country home. After botanizing all day, the students returned to town with wildflowers in their hats, beating drums and blowing trumpets. Linnaeus sent many of them all over the world to botanize and bring specimens back for classification and study. Daniel Solander sailed on the first voyage of Captain Thomas Cook and brought back a detailed description of a kangaroo. Per Kalm came to America and worked in the Northeast of the U.S. (The next issue of The Perennial Post will tell the stories of these “apostles”, as Linnaeus called them.)

Linnaeus’ Legacy

Linnaeus’ work has become the standard systematic way in which botanists classify plants. He established the system of naming living organisms that became universally accepted in the scientific world. The system classified nature into a hierarchy, from three Kingdoms, to Classes, Orders, Genera (Genus), and Species. He recognized groups below Species that we now call varieties. Linnaeus categorized plants by their sexual parts, which was highly controversial at the time. He believed in a natural theology: since God created the world, it is possible to understand God’s wisdom by studying His creation. It was the task of the naturalist to construct a classification that would reveal the order in the universe.

After a series of strokes, Linnaeus died during a service in Uppsala Cathedral and was buried there in 1778. He left behind a legacy that gives us a better understanding of the natural world. His crest includes Linnea borealis, his favorite plant. His motto was Tantus amor florum—”Such a great love of flowers”.