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Lineu e seu legado : as descobertas botânicas envolvem riscos e benefícios : pupils of Linnaeus explored the world vs 400 news species only in Somalia

PAST

Linnaeus was very popular among the students in Uppsala, and he inspired many to follow his path. Much was still to discover in Sweden, but expeditions abroad were arranged as well. New discoveries waited for those daring to travel.

Linnaeus sent several of his pupils to different countries and continents. Some travelled with the ships of the East India Company. Linnaeus was very enthusiastic about his students' journeys and he called them his apostles. He eagerly waited for them to send home plants and animals to him. Most of his pupils had a plant genus named after them and they are in this way immortal.

The journeys of Linnaeus pupils gave important contributions to the knowledge about the biology and geography of the world. Not all of them survived however. In the tropical countries they caught malaria and other diseases. Seven of Linnaeus' apostles never returned.

Some of Linnaeus' students:

Pehr Kalm (1716–1779)

Pehr Löfling (1729–1756)

Pehr Forskål (1732–1763)

Daniel Solander (1733–1782)

Andreas Sparrman (1748–1820)

Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828)

Olof Peter Swartz (1760–1828)

PRESENT

New species in the Flora of Somalia

In Somalia the threatened palm Livistonia carinensis is found.

Somalia is situated in North East Africa. In this country the plants have been unknown to science for a long time. Today scientists at Uppsala University are writing the first real flora for Somalia. They assume that there are about 3000 plant species in the country. About 400 of them are new to science and will be described and recorded for the first time.

Linnaeus sent his pupils to all corners of the world, but none of them travelled to Somalia. It would last a hundred years after Linnaeus' death until the first plant was collected from Somalia and the first attempt to a list of the plants was not compiled until the 20th century.

Somalia is a dry country with mainly semi desert vegetation. Nevertheless, there is a rich flora with many interesting plants. The best known are the frankincense trees from which sap has been collected and used as incense for thousands of years. The scientists who are writing the flora have been able to reveal which tree species give incense and in what parts of the country they grow.

Until recently mostly foreign scientists have explored the plant world of Somalia. Now several Somali botanists are being trained with help from Sweden and other countries. It has been difficult to work and travel in Somalia because of the ongoing civil war. Despite this situation the flora work has continued.

Linné Official Site

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