Naturalist of the month

Carl von Linné was the great architect of order in the natural world. The son of a Lutheran pastor and
An amateur botanist, he grew up captivated by the flora of his parish garden, a passion that
led to studying medicine and botany at the University of Uppsala. In 1732, a journey of more
2,000 kilometers through Lapland marked the beginning of his great ambition: to replace the
confusion of previous classification systems by a universal method. With the publication of the
In his Systema naturae (1735), Linnaeus established the binomial nomenclature of genus and species, a revolutionary tool that still allows us to unambiguously designate each being today.
living. Major works such as Species plantarum (1753) are considered the starting point of the
modern botany.

Although his classification system focused on the anatomy of flowers was displaced by the
“natural method”, which analyzed the whole plant, its methodology to name the
life was universally accepted. Linnaeus not only named plants, but also
transformed biology into an organized science. This influence spread throughout the world
scientist; figures such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, his great admirer, went so far as to state:
“With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know of no one, among the dead, who has ever
more deeply influenced.”

In Marimurtra, Linnaeus’ presence is central and symbolic. Carl Faust wanted to honor him
dedicating the Linnaeus Temple to him, one of the most emblematic corners of the Garden. The Epicurean Staircase
links this monument with Goethe Square, creating a silent dialogue between science and
philosophy on the cliffs of the Costa Brava.