Carl Linnaeus made it his life’s work to develop and refine a way to classify and name all life

on Earth.

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)

He was one of the most influential scientists of his time. His theory of classication allowed for clear
and easy descriptions of plants, animals and minerals. It is so straightforward that his new naming
system, is still used by scientists today.

Linnaeus was born in 1707. His father was a keen amateur botanist and had created the finest
garden in the province. The garden inspired Carl’s love for plants a by the age of eight he was
known as ‘the little botanist’

Linnaeus initially studied medicine; medicine at this time was based on herbalism so it meant he also
studied plants
Sponsored by the University of Uppsala, Linnaeus travelled to Lapland during 1732 to report on its
natural history and economy. In 1735 he went to Holland to obtain his medical doctorate at the
university in Harderwijk, and then moved to Leiden, where he gained a number of wealthy patrons.

For most of this period he stayed with George Clifford, a wealthy merchant with a magnificent
botanical garden of which Linnaeus became superintendent.

Linnaeus’ work was prolific during his three years in Holland. He understood that contemporary
methods of classification could not accommodate the number of new plants that were being
discovered.

The first edition of Systema naturae, one of Linnaeus’ most infleuential works, was published in 1735
and outlined his new system for classifying or grouping the natural world. Over the years, Linnaeus
tirelessly added to the 11-page pamphlet, resulting in a substantial two-volume tenth edition in 1758.

In the early eighteenth century, scientific names for species were already in Latin, but were often long
and unwieldy. For example, the tomato had a name that was nine words long.

Linnaeus’ idea was to divide nature into groups based on shared physical characteristics. Firstly the
three kingdoms of plants, animals and minerals. Kingdoms were divided into classes and then into
orders, which were divided into genera (singular: genus) and then species (singular: species).

Linnaeus gave all the plants known at that time a simpler Latin name in two parts, known as a
binomial. The first part was the genus, followed by the species. Using this system, the tomato
became the more manageable Solanum lycopersicum. He gave binomial names to animals five
years later and, between 1753 and his death, he named thousands of plants and animals in this
way. This binomial system was adopted by other scientists and became the standard way of naming
organisms.

Although Linnaeus was a respected Professor of Medicine his main focus remained his reform of
botany. In 1751 he published Philosophia botanica, which dealt with the theory of botany and the
laws and rules the botanist must follow in order to describe and name plants correctly.

Linnaeus bought a country estate in Hammarby and in the same year, 1758, was made a Knight of
the Polar Star. Further honors followed.
Forced to retire from teaching in 1774 by a stroke, he suffered a further stroke and eventually died in
1778.

Linnaeus’ influence has been huge. His system of classification allowed for clear and easy
descriptions of plants, animals and minerals and still forms the basis for modern classification.