Posts Tagged ‘plant naming’
From Violets to Victoria Amazonica: Queen Victoria’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. May 24, 1819 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of a monarch whose reign would come to define an entire era – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great…
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…
Read MoreJohn Lindley: The Orchid Master Who Saved Kew Gardens
The Champion of Kew November 1, 1865 Today is the anniversary of the death of the British gardener, botanist, and orchidologist John Lindley. John served as secretary to the Royal Horticultural Society for 43 years. This is why the Lindley Library at the RHS is named in honor of John Lindley. When he was little,…
Read MoreJan Gronovius: Botanist, Taxonomy Pioneer, and Plant Namer
The Twinflower Today is the birthday of the Dutch botanist Jan Gronovius. Gronovius’s story is inextricably bound to the Virginia botanist John Clayton. Clayton botanized Virginia. In the early 1700s, Clayton sent specimens to Gronovius both directly and indirectly through the English naturalist Mark Catesby. Gronovius was a little in over his head as he…
Read MoreJohn Lindley, the orchid pioneer who saved Kew Gardens
The Knowledge of Plants is Necessary Today is the birthday of the British botanist, pomologist, pioneer orchidologist, and flower show organizer, John Lindley. Lindley’s dad was a nurseryman, and he ran a commercial nursery in England. Despite his array of botanical talents and knowledge, the family was constantly under financial duress. Growing up in his…
Read MoreCaspar Wistar and the Flowering of Wisteria: A Legacy of Science, Friendship, and Gardens
The Younger Today is the anniversary of the death of the American physician Caspar Wistar (“Wiss-Star”), the Younger. His grandfather was also Caspar Wistar, so the Younger distinction helps people tell them apart. Wistar was a Professor of Anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1777, Caspar Wistar treated the wounded during the battle of…
Read MoreCarl Linnaeus: Courting Sara Lisa and Naming the Twinflower
Father of Taxonomy Today Carl Linnaeus went a-courting. He briefly visited an 18-year-old woman named Sara Lisa Morraea in full Lapp costume. He returned the next day and spent the entire day with Sara Lisa and her family. By the end of the month, his friends were betting bottles of wine that there would be…
Read MoreWillis Linn Jepson: Profound Scholar and Indefatigable Botanical Explorer
The Botany Man Today is the anniversary of the death of The Botany Man Willis Linn Jepson, who died on this day in 1946. Carved on his tombstone are the following words: “Profound Scholar, Inspiring Teacher, Indefatigable Botanical Explorer, … In the ordered beauty of nature, he found enduring communion.” When Jepson was 25, he…
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”…
Read MoreMargaret Owen: The Galanthophile Who Created the Godfrey Owen Snowdrop
“The Patch” Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of Margaret Owen, who died on this day in 2014. Owen was an English farmer and gardener. When she was twenty, Margaret married Godfrey Owen (he had proposed to her in a cattle shed). On their family farm, they raised four children together. They were…
Read MoreThe Poet Botanist: Adelbert von Chamisso’s Floral Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 21, On this day, my darling garden enthusiasts, we remember the passing of a most fascinating character in our botanical pantheon – the botanist and German poet Adelbert von Chamisso. Picture it,…
Read MoreThe Librarian Who Named 400 Plants: William Stearn’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. April 16, 1911 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of a true luminary in the world of botany, William Stearn. He would go on to become a botanical beacon, illuminating…
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