Posts Tagged ‘16th century botany’
From Borage to Brownwort: John Gerard’s Revolutionary Herbal
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1597 On this day, as winter’s chill began to embrace the English countryside, a most extraordinary tome unfurled its pages to the world. John Gerard, that esteemed English herbalist, unveiled his…
Read MoreLobelia’s namesake: Mathias de l’Obel and the botanical tale of beauty and toxicity
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. March 3, 1616 Dearest reader, On this day, the botanically inclined world welcomes the arrival of Mathias de l’Obel (“ma-TEE-us dew Lew-bell”), a Flemish physician whose gentle wisdom forever changed our understanding of…
Read MoreThe Father of Modern Botany: Hieronymus Bock’s Journey Through German Gardens and Herbs
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 21, 1554 Dearest reader, On this day, the world of gardening suffered the loss of Hieronymus Bock, the German botanist, physician, and Lutheran minister who gently drew botany out of medieval shadows…
Read MoreThe Botanist Who Bridged the Ages: Valerius Cordus and the Sweet Oil of Vitriol
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 18, 1515 Dearest reader, On this very day, we celebrate the birth of Valerius Cordus — German physician, botanist, and pharmacologist extraordinaire. If history ever found a luminary to stand beside Theophrastus…
Read MoreJohn Gerard’s Herbal: The Botanical Legacy Behind Shakespeare’s Christmas Cards
The General History of Plants December 1, 1597 On this day, The Herbal, or General History of Plants, by John Gerard was first published. In the Herbal, John shared over 800 species of plants and shared gorgeous woodcut illustrations. During his life, John was allowed to garden on land at Somerset House, and for…
Read MoreJuan Ponce de León and the Naming of La Florida: A Festival of Flowers
Festival of Flowers Juan Ponce de León claims new land for Spain. He names his discovery La Florida; in a nod to the Easter Season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers). This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: helping gardeners find their roots, one story at a time Juan Ponce…
Read MoreCharles de l’Écluse: The Botanist Who Brought Tulips to Holland
Carolus Clusius Today is the birthday of the Flemish botanist and founder of the Botanical Garden at Leiden, Charles de l’Écluse (“day-lay-clues”). Charles was an important 16th-century horticulturalist who, like many scientists of his time, translated his name into Latin, and was also known as Carolus Clusius. Clusius is remembered as the botanist who introduced…
Read MoreGaspard Bauhin: The Botanist Who Named the Rutabaga
The Many Uses of Rutabaga Today is the 460th birthday of the Swiss botanist Gaspard Bauhin. Gaspard spent his life classifying plants, and he ordered plants in a way that’s familiar to us today – using binomial names, one name for the genus, and one name for the species. Gaspard was also the first to…
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