Posts Tagged ‘history of botany’
Chlorophyll, Gravity, and the Invisible Forces: Henri Dutrochet’s Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1776 On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of nature’s mysteries, we celebrate the birth of a true luminary in the realm of botanical science: Henri Dutrochet, the French physician,…
Read MoreParsing Petals: John Berkenhout and the Language of Botany
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 8, 1726 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of one John Berkenhout, an English physician, naturalist, and writer of no small repute. While his name may not be as…
Read MoreHugo von Mohl: The Botanist Who Discovered Protoplasm, Mitosis, and Chloroplasts
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 8, 1805 Dearest reader, On this day, the world welcomed Hugo von Mohl, a man celebrated by one newspaper as the “greatest botanist of his day.” His brilliant mind peered into the…
Read MoreJean Senebier: The Botanist Who Revealed the Secret Life of Leaves
Finding the Purpose of Leaves May 6, 1742 Today is the birthday of Jean Senebier, a Swiss pastor and botanist. Where would we be without Senebier? Still breathing… but lacking the knowledge that carbon dioxide is consumed by plants and, in turn, that plants produce oxygen as part of the process of photosynthesis. In a nutshell,…
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 MoreRobert Brown: The Botanist Who Discovered Brownian Motion
Brownian Motion December 21, 1773 Today is the birthday of Scottish botanist Robert Brown. Robert made important contributions to botany and (science in general) through his pioneering use of the microscope. In particular, Robert is best known for being the first to notice the natural continuous movement of minute particles. Today we call that phenomenon…
Read MoreNathanael Pringsheim: Pioneer of Algology and Botanical Science
The Founder of Algology November 30, 1823 Today is the birthday of the German botanist Nathanael Pringsheim. Nathanael was a founder of algology or the study of algae. Nathanael’s work led to an understanding of how algae and fungi live, develop, and reproduce. In 1882, Nathanael founded the German Botanical Society. This post was…
Read MoreThe enduring legacy of Rhodora: How a Botanical Journal Bloomed in 1899
The Patron Saint of Gardeners 827 Today is the anniversary of the death of x (pronounced Alard) of Corbie – a patron saint of gardeners – who died on this day in 827. Adelard was related to Charlemagne; they were first cousins. In addition to serving as the Abbott of the Abbey, Adelard was also…
Read MoreJacob Schneck and the Legacy of the Schneck Oak
Schneck Oak Today is the birthday of the Indiana physician, naturalist, and botanist Jacob Schneck who was born on this day in 1843. After his service in the Civil War, Jacob decided to educate himself by going to school to become a teacher. After teaching for a short period, he decided he wanted to become…
Read MoreTheodore Vogel: The German Botanist Lost to the Niger Expedition
Always Active On this day in 1841, the German botanist Theodore Vogel was laid low with dysentery. Vogel was botanizing in Niger (“nee-ZHER”) after joining the Niger expedition in May of that year. By August, Vogel recorded the hardships of traveling by naval warship in his journal: “As soon as I got on board the…
Read MoreClaude Aubriet: The King’s Botanical Painter and Namesake of Aubrieta
Painter To The King Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanical painter for King Louis the XIV and XV, Claude Aubriet, who died on this day in 1742. When Aubriet was appointed “Painter to the King” after the death of his master Jean Joubert in 1707, he technically didn’t have the…
Read MoreHenri Dutrochet: The Botanist Who Unveiled Osmosis
Osmosis Observer Today is the birthday of the French physiologist and botanist Henri Dutrochet, who was born on this day in 1776. Dutrochet discovered and named the process of osmosis working in his home laboratory as he was investigating the movement of sap in plant tissues. Dutrochet shared his discovery with the Paris Academy of…
Read MoreCarl Peter Thunberg: The Swedish Botanist Who Unlocked Japan’s Secret Flora
The Father of South African Botany Today is the anniversary of the death of the father of South African botany, the botanist Carl Peter Thunberg, who died on this day in 1828. As fellow Swedes, Carl Linnaeus had taught Thunberg, and Linnaeus encouraged him to continue his work by visiting other parts of Europe. Eventually,…
Read MoreCarl Linnaeus: The Father of Plant Taxonomy and His Enduring Legacy
The Father of Taxonomy Today is the anniversary of the death of Carl Linnaeus, who died on this day 1783. Thirty years earlier, on May 1st, 1753, the publication of his masterpiece Species Plantarumchanged plant taxonomy forever. It gave Linnaeus the moniker Father of Taxonomy; his naming system is called binomial nomenclature. Binomial means “two names”…
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