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Carl Linnaeus Facts & Worksheets

Carl Linnaeus was an influential Swedish naturalist, botanist, and explorer who is referred to as the “father of taxonomy”.

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Carl Linnaeus, who also goes by the names Carl von Linné or Carolus Linnaeus, was an influential Swedish naturalist, botanist, and explorer who is referred to as the “father of taxonomy.” His work on defining natural genera and species of organisms laid the foundational principles for the modern system of naming, classifying, and ranking them.

See the fact file below for more information on Carl Linnaeus, or you can download our 26-page Carl Linnaeus worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Carl Linnaeus was born on May 23, 1707, in Råshult, a village located in the province of Småland in southern Sweden.
  • He was born the first child of Nils Ingemarsson Linnaeus, a Lutheran church minister, village curate, and an enthusiast of botany, the study of plants.
  • His mother, Christina Brodersonia, was a rector’s daughter.
  • He had four younger siblings: Anna Maria, Sofia, Samuel, and Emerentia.
  • Carl’s father introduced him to teachings of Latin, religion, and botany at an early age.
  • His father permanently adopted the Latinate name Linnaeus, derived from a linden tree that grew on the family homestead.
  • Despite coming from a lineage of priests and churchmen, Carl did not show interest in the field.
  • Carl grew an interest in plants and flowers instead, having had his own garden by the age of five.
  • One of the things that Carl’s father taught him was that every plant had a name, which he strived to memorize.
  • At the time, plant names had long Latin descriptions.
  • Carl’s tutor, Johan Stensson Rothman, who was also a physician, encouraged him to pursue medicine because botany was then a major part of the curriculum to be a doctor.
  • Doctors needed to study the medicinal properties of a vast array of plants for their patients’ prescriptions and treatment.

EDUCATION

  • By the age of 21, Carl Linnaeus began using the Latin form of his name (Carolus) once he enrolled in the University of Lund to study medicine in 1727.
  • After spending one year at the University of Lund, Carl transferred to Uppsala University as advised by Rothman.
  • Olof Celsius, a theology professor, and naturalist, noticed Carl’s ability to name plants and granted him access to his library.
  • In 1729, while in Uppsala, Carl wrote a thesis on classifying plants based on their sexual reproduction.
  • Carl’s thesis impressed another university professor, Olof Rudbeck, who then gave him the opportunity to be a teaching assistant.
  • At only 23 years old, Carl already became a lecturer in botany.
  • Carl’s mother, who initially was disappointed because her eldest son did not pursue theology, was pleased that he became a lecturer at a university at such a young age.

EXPEDITION TO LAPLAND

  • In 1732, Carl was awarded funding to mount a botanical and ethnographical expedition to Lapland in the far north of Sweden.
  • Carl’s objective was to discover new types of flora, fauna, and other natural resources and gather more information about them.
  • From May to October of 1732, Carl traveled approximately 1,250 miles in Lapland as he noted his observations of native plants and birds in his journal.
  • He collected information on about 100 new plants during this expedition.
  • Later in 1737, his discoveries were published in a book entitled “Flora Lapponica.”
  • From his observations, he started applying his original ideas about nomenclature and classification, such as the two-part naming system, which would become the Linnaean or binomial system that is widely used now.
  • The new naming system was applied to 534 species of plants.
  • Geographical distribution and taxonomic notes about these species were also included.
  • In 1729, while in Uppsala, Carl wrote a thesis on classifying plants based on their sexual reproduction.
  • Carl’s thesis impressed another university professor, Olof Rudbeck, who then gave him the opportunity to be a teaching assistant.
  • At only 23 years old, Carl already became a lecturer in botany.
  • Carl’s mother, who initially was disappointed because her eldest son did not pursue theology, was pleased that he became a lecturer at a university at such a young age.

EXPEDITION TO LAPLAND

  • In 1732, Carl was awarded funding to mount a botanical and ethnographical expedition to Lapland in the far north of Sweden.
  • Carl’s objective was to discover new types of flora, fauna, and other natural resources and gather more information about them.
  • From May to October of 1732, Carl traveled approximately 1,250 miles in Lapland as he noted his observations of native plants and birds in his journal.
  • He collected information on about 100 new plants during this expedition.
  • Later in 1737, his discoveries were published in a book entitled “Flora Lapponica.”
  • From his observations, he started applying his original ideas about nomenclature and classification, such as the two-part naming system, which would become the Linnaean or binomial system that is widely used now.
  • The new naming system was applied to 534 species of plants.
  • Geographical distribution and taxonomic notes about these species were also included.
  • After Carl returned from the expedition, he gave lectures in Uppsala and encouraged his students to use the new system.
  • In 1734, Carl mounted another expedition, leading a small group of students to Dalarna in central Sweden with the goal of collecting information on previously known and new natural resources.

MEDICAL DEGREE AND THE NETHERLANDS

  • Right before setting off to the Netherlands, Carl became engaged to Sara Elisabeth, a physician’s daughter, in the spring of 1735.
  • They agreed to wed after Carl returned from the Netherlands in three years.
  • In 1735, Carl headed to the Netherlands and intended to promptly obtain his medical degree at the University of Harderwijk.
  • He was able to do so in reportedly less than two weeks.
  • For the rest of the three years that he was in the Dutch Republic, he also traveled to Germany, France, and England. 
  • After seeking patronage for publishing his scientific manuscripts, Carl successfully published his first scientific book with the financial support of Leiden senator Jan Frederik Gronovius and Scottish doctor Isaac Lawson.
  • That book was called “Systema Naturae” ( which translates to “The System of Nature”), which mainly presented a hierarchical classification of plants, animals, and minerals.

SYSTEMA NATURAE

  • In the Netherlands, Carl met Dutch botanist Johan Frederik Gronovius to whom he showed his writings on the naming and classification of plants.
  • Johan Frederik thought his work was groundbreaking and helped Carl get funding to get published.
  • Before Carl Linnaeus came up with his classification system, the traditional systems of taxonomy, which means biological classification, were based on dichotomies or divisions which were mutually exclusive. 
  • “Systema Naturae” became a new way to classify life forms.
  • Carl classified lifeforms by looking for their similarities and organizing them in a way that makes it easier to understand how they are related or not. 
  • “Systema Naturae” provided the kingdoms of plants, animals, and minerals to be subdivided into classes, orders, genera, species, and varieties. 
  • Carl was the first naturalist to include humans within the kingdom of animals.
  • In the first nine (out of twelve) editions of “Systema Naturae,” Carl classified humans into four “varieties” – European white (Europaeus albus); American reddish (Americanus rubescens), Asian tawny (Asiaticus fuscus) and African black (Africanus niger) – which corresponded to the continents of Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
  • Later on, he added two other varieties – Ferus for wild youngsters and Monstrosus for populations shaped by their extreme environment. For other animal groups, he used the term “sub-species” and not “varieties.”
  • The first edition of “Systema Naturae” included only 11 pages.
  • Carl added more new species to this growing folio and revised existing classifications over the next years.
  • After 30 years, in its 12th edition, “Systema Naturae” had about 2,400 pages covering over 12,000 species of plants and animals.
  • Additional subdivisions, such as families, have been added to the classifying terms.
  • In contrast to Carl’s use of physical similarities, modern science now uses DNA in classifying living things.
  • The current Linnaean system goes as follows: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

BEING A PHYSICIAN AND PROFESSOR

  • In 1738, Carl returned to Sweden and became a physician in Stockholm. 
  • He also co-founded and became the first president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science in Stockholm.
  • He married his fiancée, Sara Elisabeth, in June of 1739.
  • They went on to have seven children; their third child died at 15 days old.
  • In 1741, Carl took up a full professorship of medicine at Uppsala University.
  • He also took control of the university’s botanical garden. 
  • While working in Uppsala, Carl went on short-term research expeditions in Öland and Gotland, Västergötland, and Scania.
  • At 43 years old, he was appointed as the rector of the university.
  • His lectures were reputably very popular.

SPECIES PLANTARUM

  • Another one of Carl’s publications which has become widely acclaimed, is “Species Plantarum” (which translates to “Plant Species” which was published in 1753.
  • In “Species Plantarum,” Carl used the two-part naming system in classifying all the plant species that had been discovered at that time into around 1,000 genera.
  • It included over 7,300 plant species.

LEGACY AND DEATH

  • Carl Linnaeus has been referred to as the “father of modern taxonomy.”
  • His prime achievement was the creation of binomial nomenclature, or the two-part naming system of living things according to their genus and species.
  • He was the one who gave the scientific name “Homo sapiens” to humans.
  • He also pioneered the study of ecology by being the first to describe how living things relate to the environment.
  • In 1747, Linnaeus was appointed chief royal physician.
  • In 1758, he was knighted under his Swedish name, Carl von Linné.
  • Carl Linnaeus suffered a stroke and died at the age of 70 on January 10, 1778.

Carl Linnaeus Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Carl Linnaeus across 26 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Carl Linnaeus, an influential Swedish naturalist, botanist, and explorer who is referred to as the “father of taxonomy.”

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1.  Carl Linnaeus Facts
  2. The Life of Linnaeus
  3. Career Milestones
  4. Related Vocabulary
  5. Carl’s Quotes
  6. Systema Naturae Facts
  7. Impactful People
  8. Pioneering Naturalists
  9. Choose and Classify
  10. Show and Tell
  11. Linnaeus’ Legacy

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Carl Linnaeus?

Carl Linnaeus, born on May 23, 1707, in Sweden, was a renowned botanist, zoologist, and physician. He is best known for developing a comprehensive system for classifying and naming organisms, which laid the foundation for modern taxonomy.

What was Linnaeus’ major contribution to science?

Linnaeus’s major contribution to science was the development of binomial nomenclature, a system of naming species using two Latin words: the genus and the species. This system revolutionized the way organisms are classified and is still widely used today.

How did Linnaeus organize and classify organisms?

Linnaeus organized and classified organisms based on their shared characteristics. He developed a hierarchical system of classification, grouping organisms into increasingly specific categories, such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

What were some of Linnaeus’ notable publications?

One of Linnaeus’ most notable publications is “Systema Naturae,” first published in 1735. It went through several editions and expansions, with the final edition published in 1768. Another important work by Linnaeus is “Species Plantarum,” published in 1753, which laid the groundwork for modern botanical taxonomy.

What was Linnaeus’ impact on the field of biology?

Linnaeus’ impact on the field of biology cannot be overstated. His system of classification provided a standardized and organized way to identify, name, and study organisms. This laid the foundation for modern biological and ecological research, allowing scientists to communicate and share knowledge about the natural world more effectively. His work continues to be influential in the field of taxonomy and is still widely used in scientific research and education.

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