Carolus Linnaeus (17 Carolus Linnaeus07-1778) was a Swedish botanist who first classified plants by giving them a double Latin name. The first name was the genus, and the first letter was capitalized. The second name was the species, and the first letter was not capitalized. This two-name method of naming is called binomial, bi meaning "two." For example, Linnaeus put the flower known as the primrose into a genus he called Primula. One kind of primrose with purple flowers he called Primula versus. Thus Linnaeus was able to classify and name thousands of plants. Believing that everything in nature could be classified if the scientist had the time and patience, Linnaeus also began to classify animals in the same way
Of his 180 books, Linnaeus' first, Systema Naturae, was the most important. It contained only twelve pages, but it marked the beginning of modern botany. In it he dealt with the sex and reproduction of plants, a field never before explored.
Born in Rashult, Sweden, Carolus Linnaeus was the son of a village clergyman. His name originally was Cari von Linné, but he later took the Latin form of his name. A poor grammar-school student, Linnaeus could not decide what he wanted to do with his life. He was educated at great personal expense to his impoverished father, but he finally was graduated from the University of Uppsala and began to distinguish himself in botany until he finally became professor of botany and director of the university botanical gardens. An extremely popular teacher, he had huge classes of several hundred students from all over the world.
World famous, Carolus Linnaeus was one of the best loved and most highly respected professional men of his day. In fact, he was the first scientist ever to be made a noble in the country of Sweden.
