Elias Magnus Friesz

Happy birthday to Elias Magnus Friesz, who is born on this day in 1794 in Sweden.

The area where Friesz grew up was rich in fungi, and his father was a self-taught botanist. Put the two together, and it’s no wonder Friesz developed a lifelong interest in mycology.
In fact, Friesz developed the first system that was used to classify fungi, so we remember him for that.
There’s a wonderful picture of Elias as an octogenarian. He looks like he could’ve been Dumbledore’s best friend.
He was a happy botanist, and he worked tirelessly until the day he died in February 1878.