Posts Tagged ‘18th century botanists’
The Vulture’s Flight: Pehr Loefling’s Bold Botanical Voyage From Linnaeus’ Shadow to the Amazon’s Edge
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 22, 1756 Dearest reader, On this day, a young soul, ablaze with botanical fervor, breathed his last beneath the boughs of an orange tree on the banks of the Caroní River. Pehr…
Read MoreThe Man Behind the Modern Strawberry: Antoine Nicolas Duchesne’s Botanical Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 18, 1827 Dearest Gardeners, On this day, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne (“do-shayn”) (books about this person), the renowned French botanist, gardener, and professor at Versailles, passed away. His pioneering work forever changed the way we know…
Read MoreWilliam Young: The Queen’s Botanist, the Venus Flytrap, and a Life of Fortune and Folly
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 3, 1766 Dearest reader, On this day, quite the stirring tale from the New World’s blossoming botanical scene reaches its curious climax. William Young, a youthful botanist fresh from the land where…
Read MoreGerard van Swieten: The Botanist Who Revolutionized Austrian Medicine
Swietenia: The Genus of Mahogany May 7, 1700 Today is the birthday of the Dutch botanist Gerard van Swieten. As Swieten turned 40 years old, Empress Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg Empire. She had much to do to get her kingdom in shape. When it came to medicine, Austria was about 200 years behind its…
Read MoreJohann Zinn and the Cinderella Flower: From Eyesore to Beloved Zinnia
The Cinderella Flower April 6, 1759 Today is the anniversary of the death of Johann Zinn, who died young at the age of 32. Johann accomplished much in his short life, and he focused on two seemingly disconnected areas of science: human anatomy and botany. From an anatomy standpoint, Johann focused on the eye. He…
Read MoreCatharina Helena Dörrien: German Pioneering Female Botanist and Botanical Artist
Beautiful Botanical Art March 1, 1717 Today is the birthday of the German artist, children’s book author, translator, editor, and pioneering female botanist Catharina Helena Dörrien (“Durr-ee-in”). Catharina was born into an intellectual family in Hildesheim, a community Southeast of Hannover. Her father, Ranier, believed that while beauty fades, ignorance can be a lifelong affliction.…
Read MoreAntoine Nicolas Duchesne: The Botanical Pioneer Behind the Modern Strawberry
The Modern Strawberry February 18, 1827 Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist, gardener, and professor at Versailles, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne (“do-Shane”). A specialist in strawberries and gourds, Antoine was a student of Bernard de Jussieu at the Royal Garden in Paris. A plant pioneer, Antoine, recognized that mutation was a…
Read MoreArchibald Menzies: The Surgeon Who Brought the Monkey Puzzle Tree to England
Monkey Puzzle Man February 15, 1842 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Scottish surgeon, botanist, and naturalist Archibald Menzies. The famous story about Archibald goes something like this: Once, Joseph Banks sent Archibald on an expedition. At some point, Archibald ended up warmly received in Chile, where he dined with the country’s…
Read MoreThe Humble Farewell of Linnaeus: The Man Who Named the Onion and the World of Plants
by Bill Laws Linnaeus was a modest man and stipulated rules for his funeral arrangements: “Entertain nobody …and accept no condolences.” But when he died in January 1778, his instructions were ignored. Even the King of Sweden came to pay his respects at the funeral of the man who gave a name to the onion…
Read MoreWilliam Curtis: Founder of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine and the London Botanic Garden
Flora Londiniensis January 11, 1746 (see comment below) Today is the birthday of the botanist, entomologist, and founder of the influential Curtis Botanical Magazine, William Curtis. William had started life as an apothecary, but in short order, he discovered that it could not hold his interest. Sir James Edward Smith recalled that William loved being…
Read MoreJan Ingenhousz and the Discovery of Photosynthesis
Discovery of Photosynthesis December 8, 1730 Today is the birthday of the Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist Jan Ingenhousz (“ENG-in-house”). Jan made one of the most significant botanical discoveries in history: photosynthesis. Jan served as the personal physician to the royal Habsburg family in Austria. In 1771, Jan traveled to England with a group that…
Read MoreAndre Michaux’s Discovery: Rhododendron minus Along the Tugalo River
The Rhododendron minus December 4, 1788 On this day, Andre Michaux made his way from Georgia into South Carolina by crossing the Tugalo River. In his journal, Michaux wrote: “At dawn, I went to look at the banks of the river, and I recognized the yellow root, [a new species of rhododendron], mountain laurel, hydrangea,…
Read MoreThe Man Who Gave Us Bosc and D’Anjou Pears: Jean-Baptiste Van Mons
The Pear King November 11, 1765 Today is the birthday of the Belgian physicist, chemist, botanist, horticulturist, and pomologist, Jean-Baptiste Van Mons. The name of the game for Jean-Baptiste was selective breeding for pears. Selective breeding happens when humans breed plants to develop particular characteristics by choosing the parent plants to make the offspring. Check…
Read MoreCarl Linnaeus: The Father of Taxonomy and Botanical Order
The Orderer November 1, 1783 Today is the anniversary of the death of Carl Linnaeus. Thirty years earlier, on May 1st, 1753, the publication of his masterpiece Species Plantarum changed plant taxonomy forever. Linnaeus earned the moniker Father of Taxonomy; his naming system is called binomial nomenclature. Binomial means “two names,” which in the naming…
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