Posts Tagged ‘Taxonomy’
Naming Nature’s Dance: Carl Linnaeus and the Birth of Modern Taxonomy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 23, 1707 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of a man whose name is whispered reverently in gardens and herbaria across the globe – Carl Linnaeus (books about this…
Read MorePlant Taxonomy and Country Charm Collide in this Little Story From 1916
A Rose by any Name Smells as Sweet December 16, 1916 Today, a humorous little garden story was shared in the Star Phoenix out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A famous botanist was pacing slowly along a country road, his eyes, as usual, roaming from side to side for new plants to study. Suddenly an eager look…
Read MoreDecember 16, 2020 Madagascar Vanilla, Marshall Pinckney Wilder, Albert Spear Hitchcock, David Hall, Hal Borland, The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook by Courtney Wade and a Plant Called Higgenses
Today we celebrate a botanist remembered for his work with Pears and Camellias. We’ll also learn about a botanist who specialized in grasses and traveled extensively to collect them. We’ll learn about the work of a forensic botanist back in the early 1980s. We take a moment to savor December – courtesy of a verse…
Read MoreThe Rhodum Sidus: A Charming Tale of Taxonomy and Plant Humor
“An amusing story… describes how a country nurseryman made a large sum out of sales of a simple little flower that he sold under the name of Rhodum sidus.” September 20, 1910 On this day, The Rutland Daily Herald out of Vermont shared this utterly charming story about a little-known flower called the Rhodum sidus: …
Read MoreBrushstrokes of Botany: Magnus Hallman’s Portraits of Linnaeus
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 16, 1745 On this day, dear horticultural enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported to the lush landscapes of Östergötland County, Sweden. For it was on this very date that Magnus Hallman, a painter…
Read MoreThe Biography of Indiana Botanist Charles Clemon Deam by Robert Kriebel
“Suddenly, Charlie quickly opened the drawer, pulled out the gun, and fired two or three shots through the open window, making some disparaging comments about the “canine ancestry of a rabbit,” which had been terrorizing his garden.” July 16, 1987 On this day, The Indianapolis Star announced that the biography of Charles Clemon Deam, the…
Read MorePlant Explorers Ynes Mexia’s Adventures and Botanical Legacy
“Once she realized such posterity was possible, it was almost as if Ynes was scrambling to ensure her legacy. Today, fifty species have been named in her honor.” May 24, 1870 On this day, the Mexican-American botanist Ynes Mexia, was born. When researching Ynes, I learned she loved having plants named in her honor.…
Read MoreBlooms and Binomials: Celebrating Carl Linnaeus’ 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 23, 1707 On this day, a babe was born who would grow to become the most meticulous gardener in history. Not content with merely tending to plants, he would go on to…
Read MoreClassifying the Centuries: Gustavus Adolphus College Honors Linnaeus
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 2007 On this day, dear readers and fellow devotees of botanical classification, Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota held its second Linnaeus Symposium, a grand affair titled “Linnaeus @ 300.” Can you…
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