No quick links this week. I’ve been pretty busy and haven’t had much time to even read! I soon will have time for more blogging though and also a big announcement!
But, a few weeks ago, I asked if anyone could name Carl Linnaeus’s favorite plant. I figured I should follow-up on that (even though no one tried to answer).
*drumroll*
The answer is Twinflower (Linnaea borealis)! From the photo above, you can probably tell how the plant received its common name. As for the scientific name, you may think that Linnaeus named the plant after himself, being the father of modern taxonomy and all. However, it was his teacher and friend Jan Frederik Gronovius that named the plant in his honor. On the naming, Linnaeus wrote:
“Linnaea was named by the celebrated Gronovius and is a plant of Lapland, lowly, insignificant and disregarded, flowering but for a brief space – from Linnaeus who resembles it.”
Twinflower grows around the world at northern latitudes. I’ve come across it often here in Minnesota. It really is an adorable plant, especially when flowering, and I can see why it was Linnaeus’s favorite.