Carolus Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné (help· info), (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist^[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. He is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology (see History of ecology). Image File history File links Carl_von_Linné.jpg Carl von Linné painted by Alexander Roslin in 1775. ... Image File history File links Carl_von_Linné.jpg Carl von Linné painted by Alexander Roslin in 1775. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... Image File history File links Sv-Carl von Linné.ogg Carl von Linné in Swedish. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Events January 1 - John V is crowned King of Portugal April 25 - Allied army is defeated by Bourbonic army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... Physician examining a child A physician is a person who practices medicine. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Nomenclature is a system of naming and categorizing objects in a given category. ... The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ... Ecology is generally spoken of as a new science, really not coming into prominence before the middle of the 20th Century. ...

Name

The name of this botanist comes in different variants: 'Carl Linnaeus', 'Carolus Linnaeus' and 'Carl von Linné', sometimes just 'Carl Linné'. There is often confusion about his real (Swedish) name, as opposed to the Latinized form 'Carolus Linnaeus' he used most when he published his scientific works (in Latin).

In Linnaeus' time, most Swedes had no surnames. Linnaeus' grandfather was named Ingemar Bengtsson (son of Bengt), according to Scandinavian tradition. Linnaeus' father was known as Nils Ingemarsson (son of Ingemar). Only for registration purposes, for example when matriculating at a university, one needed a surname. In the academic world, Latin was the language of choice, so when Linnaeus' father went to the University of Lund, he coined himself a Latin surname: Linnaeus, referring to a large linden tree[1] on the family property Linnagård ('Linn' being a now obsolete Swedish variant of 'Lind'; the linden tree). Nils Ingemarsson Linnaeus gave his son the name Carl. So the Swedish name of the boy was Carl Linnaeus^[2]. Lund University Lund University (Swedish: Lunds universitet) is a university in Lund in southernmost Sweden. ... Binomial name Tilia cordata Mill. ...

When Carl Linnaeus enrolled as student at the University of Lund, he was registered as 'Carolus Linnaeus'. This Latinized form was the name he used when he published his works in Latin. After he was ennobled, in 1761^[3], he took the name Carl von Linné. 'Linné' is thus a shortened version of 'Linnaeus', 'von' is added to signify his ennoblement.

When referring to or citing the author Linnaeus, it is appropriate to use 'Carl Linnaeus', 'Carolus Linnaeus' or just 'Linnaeus'. 'Carl von Linné' seems to be less suitable, especially for the works he published before 1762. On the title page of the second edition of Species plantarum (1762) the author's name is still printed as 'Carolus Linnaeus' (or rather the genetive form 'Caroli Linnaei') but from then on, his name is quite consistently printed as 'Carolus a Linne' or 'Carl von Linné'. Stafleu^[1] uses 'Carl Linnaeus' as the author's name for all his works. The genitive case is a grammatical case that indicates a relationship, primarily one of possession, between the noun in the genitive case and another noun. ...

Biography

Carl Linnaeus was born on a farm in May 23 1707. The farm was called Råshult in Älmhult Municipality, the province of Småland in southern Sweden. Like his father and maternal grandfather, Linnaeus was groomed as a youth to be a churchman, but he showed little enthusiasm for it. His interest in botany impressed a physician from his town and he was sent to study at Lund University, transferring to Uppsala University after one year. RÃ¥shult is a village in Kronoberg_County, Sweden. ... This page deals with both Älmhult Municipality and the urban area (tätort) Älmhult Älmhult Municipality is a Municipality in central Kronoberg County, in southern Sweden, where the town of Älmhult (pop. ... SmÃ¥land â–¶(?) is a historical province (landskap) in southern Sweden. ... Botany is the scientific study of plantlife. ... Lund University Lund University (Swedish: Lunds universitet) is a university in Lund in southernmost Sweden. ... Uppsala University (Swedish Uppsala universitet) is a public university in Uppsala, Sweden. ...

Linnaeus had been impressed by what he read about the stamens and pistils of flowers as sexual organs. At Uppsala he wrote a short work on the subject himself that earned him a position at the Botanical Gardens. Stamens of the Amaryllis with prominent anthers carrying pollen Insects, while collecting pollen, accidentally transfer it from one flower to another, bringing about pollination The stamen is the male organ of a flower. ... Amaryllis style and stigmas A carpel is the female reproductive organ of a flower; the basic unit of the gynoecium. ... Clivia miniata bears bright orange flowers. ...

Carl Linnaeus dressed in native Lapp costume.

In 1732 the Academy of Sciences at Uppsala financed his expedition to explore Lapland, then virtually unknown. The result of this was firstly The Florula Lapponica (the first work to use the Sexual System) and later the Flora Lapponica published in 1737. Download high resolution version (500x735, 361 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (500x735, 361 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... Laponia, or Lappland, was a historical Province or landskap in the extreme north of Sweden. ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ...

In 1735 Linnaeus moved to the continent. In the Netherlands he earned his one and only academic degree. He also met Jan Frederik Gronovius and showed him a draft of his work on taxonomy, the Systema Naturae. This was published in the Netherlands the same year, as an eleven page work. Jan Frederik Gronovius (also seen as Johann Frederik and Johannes Fredericus) (1690-1762) was a Dutch botanist notable as a patron of Linnaeus. ... Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus differentiis, synonymis, locis (system of nature, in three kingdoms of The book was published in Latin. ...

By the time it reached its 10th edition (1758), it classified 4,400 species of animals and 7,700 species of plants. In it, the unwieldy names mostly used at the time, such as "Physalis amno ramosissime ramis angulosis glabris foliis dentoserratis", were supplemented with concise and now familiar "binomials", composed of the generic name, followed by a specific epithet, e.g. Physalis angulata. These binomials could serve as a label to refer to the species. Higher taxa were constructed and arranged in a simple and orderly manner. Although the system, now known as binomial nomenclature, was developed by the Bauhin brothers (see Gaspard Bauhin and Johann Bauhin) almost 200 years earlier, Linnaeus was the first to use it consistently throughout the work, also in monospecific genera, and may be said to have popularized it within the scientific community. Binomial name Physalis angulata L. The cutleaf groundcherry also known as wild tomato, camapu or winter Cherry and several other names is an annual herb. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Gaspard Bauhin Gaspard Bauhin, or Caspar Bauhin (January 17, 1560 – December 5, 1624), was a Swiss-French botanist. ... Jean Bauhin. ...

Linnaeus named taxa in ways that personally struck him as common-sensical; for example, human beings are Homo sapiens (see sapience). He also briefly described a second human species, Homo troglodytes ("cave-dwelling man"). This was however likely a confusion originating from exaggerated second- or third-hand accounts of the chimpanzee (currently most often placed in a different genus, as Pan troglodytes). The group "mammalia" are named for their mammary glands because one of the defining characteristics of mammals is that they nurse their young. Sapience is the ability of an organism or entity to act with intelligence. ... In archaeology, a troglodyte is any member of a primitive tribe of cave-dwelling people (from the Greek troglodytai, from trogle, a hole and dyein, to enter). More recently troglodyte is used to describe a technophobic person; i. ... Binomial name Pan troglodytes (Blumenbach, 1775) The Common Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is a great ape. ... Binomial name Pan troglodytes Blumenbach, 1799 The Common Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is a great ape. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes...

In 1739 Linnaeus married Sara Morea, daughter of a physician. He ascended to the chair of medicine at Uppsala two years later, soon exchanging it for the chair of Botany. He continued to work on his classifications, extending them to the kingdom of animals and the kingdom of minerals. The last may seem somewhat odd, but the theory of evolution was still a long time away. Linnaeus was only attempting a convenient way of categorizing the elements of the natural world. Still, Linnaeus' research had begun to take science on a path that diverged from what had been taught by religious authorities; the local Lutheran Archbishop had accused him of "impiety." In a letter [2] to Johann Georg Gmelin dated February 25, 1747, Linnaeus wrote: Events January 1 - Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. ... A speculative phylogenetic tree of all living things, based on rRNA gene data, showing the separation of the three domains, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Johann Georg Gmelin (August 8, 1709 - May 20, 1755) was a German naturalist, botanist and geographer. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events January 31 - The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Dock Hospital April 9 - The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason; he was the last man to be executed in this way in Britain May 14 - First battle of Cape...

The Swedish king, Adolf Fredrik, ennobled Linnaeus in 1757, and after the privy council had confirmed the ennoblement Linnaeus took the surname von Linné, later often signing just Carl Linné. Adolf Frederick (Adolf Fredrik) (May 14, 1710 – February 12, 1771), was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Declining in his later years, Linnaeus suffered from a series of strokes in 1774. He died four years later, in 1778.

Linnaean taxonomy

Title page of the 1760 edition of Systema Naturae.

Taxonomists, in almost any biological field, have heard of Carolus Linnaeus. His prime contribution was to get two part names for species of plants and animals accepted (binomial names, scientific names): the work of Linnaeus represents the starting point of binomial nomenclature. In addition Linnaeus developed, during the great 18th century expansion of natural history knowledge, what became known as the Linnaean taxonomy; the system of scientific classification now widely used in the biological sciences. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (525x865, 73 KB) Summary cover of w:en:Systema Naturae sourced from http://bibbild. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (525x865, 73 KB) Summary cover of w:en:Systema Naturae sourced from http://bibbild. ... Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus differentiis, synonymis, locis (system of nature, in three kingdoms of The book was published in Latin. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Linnaean taxonomy is a phrase used for the scientific classification widely used in the biological sciences. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Biology is a branch of science, dealing with the study of life. ...

The Linnaean system classified nature within a hierarchy, starting with three kingdoms. Kingdoms were divided into Classes and they, in turn, into Orders, which were divided into Genera (singular: genus), which were divided into Species (singular: species). Below the rank of species he sometimes recognised taxa of a lower (unnamed) rank (for plants these are now called "varieties"). Since then very many other ranks have been added, most notably phyla (singular: phylum) or divisions between kingdoms and classes, and families (between order and genus). Groups of organisms at any rank are now called taxa (singular: taxon) or taxonomic groups. For the various types of hierarchy, see hierarchy (disambiguation) A hierarchy (in Greek: Ιεραρχία, it is derived from ιερός-hieros, sacred, and άρχω-arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system (except for the top element) is subordinate to a single other element. ... Ernst Haeckels presentation of a three-kingdom system (Plantae, Protista, Animalia) in his 1866 Generelle Morphologie der Organismen. ...

The task of identifying and describing all living species is called the Linnaean enterprise by modern ecologists. The Linnaean enterprise is the task of identifying and describing all living species. ...

His groupings were based upon shared physical characteristics. Although the groupings themselves have been significantly changed since Linnaeus' conception, as well as the principles behind them, he is credited with establishing the idea of a hierarchical structure of classification which is based upon observable characteristics.

Linnaeus was also a pioneer in defining the concept of "race". Within Homo sapiens he proposed four taxa of a lower (unnamed) rank. These categories are, Americanus, Asiaticus, Africanus, and Europeanus. They were based on place of origin at first, and later skin color. Each race had certain characteristics that members supposedly had. Native Americans were reddish, stubborn, and angered easily. Africans were black, relaxed and negligent. Asians were sallow, avaricious, and easily distracted. Europeans were white, gentle, and inventive. Linnaeus's races were clearly skewed in favour of Europeans. Over time, this classification led to a racial hierarchy, in which Europeans were at the top. The term race distinguishes a population of humans from other populations. ...

Students

His students include such renowned botanists as Pehr Kalm (from Finland) and Daniel Solander (from Sweden). See also Wikipedia's category: students of Linnaeus. Pehr Kalm (March 6, 1716–November 16, 1779) (He is referred to in the Finnish language as Pietari Kalm) was an explorer, a botanist, a naturalist, and an agricultural economist from what is now Finland. ... Daniel Carlsson Solander (February 19, 1733 – May 16, 1782) was a Swedish botanist. ...

Other accomplishments

Signature of Carolus Linnaeus (Carl v. Linné).

Carolus Linnaeus pictured on the Swedish 100 kronor bank note

• Linnaeus is considered one of the finest writers of Swedish prose. His travel journals contain pithy notes on everything of interest he encountered, not just plants. He didn't just write from personal interest, but as a reporter to the enlightened scientific and political public. His journey to sub-Arctic Lapland is notable for exotic and adventurous episodes. He also composed some down-to-earth sex-instruction lectures published as "Om sättet att tillhopa gå" [How to go together].
• Linnaeus' original botanical garden may still be seen in Uppsala.
• He originated the practice of using the ♂ - (shield and arrow) Mars and ♀ - (hand mirror) Venus glyphs as the symbol for male and female.
• His picture can be found on the current Swedish 100 kronor bank notes [3].
• Linnaeus was one of the founders of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Linnaeus is the only botanist currently referred to by a single initial: L. (Previously, the abbreviation assigned was Linn.) In botany, the names, abbreviated, of the botanists who first describe and codify a species follow immediately after the scientific name. For example, Cocos nucifera L. is the complete scientific name for the coconut, with the "L." referring to Carolus Linnaeus.
• Linnaeus was said to be a man of great social skills. Erik Axel Karlfeldt's words "han talte med bönder på bönders vis, och med lärde män på latin" [he talked to peasants as peasants do, and to learned men in Latin] give a good characterization of his manner.
• He was one of the pioneers in the field of chronobiology, and created the "Petal Time Clock". His findings found that different species of flowers open at different times everyday. For example, he discovered that the hawksbeard plant, opened its flowers at 6:30 am, whereas another species, the hawkbit, did not open its flowers until 7 am. After much research into this, he soon concluded that one could tell the time of day simply by watching the flowers in their garden.

From Swedish Wikipedia This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... From Swedish Wikipedia This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... John Hancocks signature is one of the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2126x1395, 3733 KB)Swedish 100 kronor bill, released by The Swedish national bank as press photos [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2126x1395, 3733 KB)Swedish 100 kronor bill, released by The Swedish national bank as press photos [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The krona (currency code SEK) has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... The shield and spear of the Roman God Mars are often used to represent the male sex In heterogamous species, male is the sex of an organism, or of a part of an organism, which typically produces smaller, mobile gametes (spermatozoa) that are able to fertilise female gametes (ova). ... The mirror of the Roman Goddess Venus is often used to represent the female sex. ... The krona (currency code SEK) has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. ... The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or , founded in 1739 by King Frederick I, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. ... Botany is the scientific study of plantlife. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... Categories: Stub | 1864 births | 1931 deaths | Members of the Swedish Academy | Nobel Prize in Literature winners | Swedish language poets ... In a detail of Brueghels Land of Cockaigne (1567) a soft-boiled egg has little feet to rush to the luxuriating peasant who catches drops of honey on his tongue, while roast pigs roam wild: the 16th century was a good time for European peasants A peasant, from 15th... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Chronobiology is a field of science that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms. ... A floral clock or flower clock may be one of two things: A large decorative clock set into a flower bed in a park or other public recreation area, the most famous being in Geneva, Switzerland; A flower bed divided into sections, each of which contains flowers that open at... Hawksbeard is a genus of about 200 annual and perennial flowering plants found in the family Asterales resembling Dandelion, the main differences being that Hawksbeards have multiple flowers per plant as well as branching stems. ... Hawkbit is a flower which resembles Dandelion. ...

See also

• Carolus Linnaeus the Younger. Linnaeus's son, also named Carl Linnaeus and also a botanist, is commonly so referred with filius (abbreviated "L. f.") to distinguish him from his famous father.
• Linnean Society of London
• Linnaeus Arboretum
• Jonas C. Dryander
• Carl Peter Thunberg
• Frederik Hasselquist
• Peter Artedi

Portrait by Jonas Forslund Carl von Linné or Carolus Linnaeus the Younger (20 January 1741 – 1 November 1783) was a Swedish naturalist. ... The Linnean Society of London is the worlds premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy. ... The Linnaeus Arboretum, on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota, USA, contains a number of botanical gardens and an arboretum. ... Jonas Carlsson Dryander (March 5, 1748 - October 19, 1810) was a Swedish botanist. ... Carl Peter Thunberg (November 11, 1743 _ August 8, 1828) was a Swedish naturalist. ... Fredric Hasselquist (January 3, 1722 - February 9, 1752) was a Swedish traveller and naturalist. ... Peter Artedi (February 22, 1705 – September 27, 1735) was a Swedish naturalist and is known as the father of Ichthyology. Artedi was born in the province of Angermannia. ...

Notes and references

1. ↑ ^a b Stafleu, F.A. (1976-1998) Taxonomic Literature second edition. An authoritative work on the names of botanists, their works and publication data, issued under the auspices of the IAPT.
2. ↑ Stearn, W.T. (1992), Botanical Latin, fourth edition: p. 283-284, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. ISBN:0-88192-321-4.
3. ↑ W.T. Stearn, (1957), An introduction to the Species Plantarum and cognate botanical works of Carl Linnaeus, Principal events in the life of Linnaeus; in: Carl Linnaeus, Species Plantarum, A Facsimile of the first edition 1753, Volume I: 14, Ray Society, London.

External links

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Carolus Linnaeus

• Linnaeus Botanical Garden
• Biography at the Department of Systematic Botany, University of Uppsala
• Biography at The Linnean Society of London
• Biography at the University of California Museum of Paleontology
• The Linnaean Correspondence
• Carl Linnaeus - The World's First Round Cultured Pearls