Carolus Linnaeus

Swedish botanist, also known as Carol von Linne, was the first to organize the principles for defining genera and species of organisms as well as to create a uniform system for naming them. An author known for his clean and succinct style, his best-known works are "Genera Plantarum," 1737 and "Species Plantarum," 1753. Linnaeus is considered by many to be "the father" of Botany. He served as a professor, not only of medicine, but of botany and natural science.

As a child, he developed a love of flowers through the influence of his father, a clergyman and enthusiastic amateur botanist. A Christian, Linnaeus saw God’s work in every plant, and when he was eight years old, he was nicknamed "the little botanist." His parents wanted him to study theology, but he was encouraged by his teachers to study medicine instead, and in 1727, he enrolled at Lund University. He received his degree from the University of Uppsala where he was an assistant to Professor Rudbeck and supervisor of the botanical gardens.

In 1730, he began a series of botanical lectures, and two years later he was sent to Lapland by the Uppsala Academy of Sciences. The results of his explorations in that region were published in 1737 as the "Flora Lapponica" and firmly established his reputation as a naturalist.

From 1732 to 1738, Linnaeus traveled widely, spending time in Holland, England and France, before settling in Stockholm where he established a successful medical practice. He was instrumental in founding the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences in 1739. In 1741, after turning down an appointment as the chair of medicine, he was appointed Head of Botany at the University of Uppsala, a position he held until his death. With his engaging personality, he was a popular teacher who easily and enthusiastically communicated his findings to his students. As a result, Uppsala soon became the center of the botanical world.