Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) and Plants in the Traditions (Hadith) of Prophet Muhammad

Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(4), October 2007, pp. 692-694

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) and plants in the traditions (Hadith) of Prophet Muhammad

The most prodigious and later to Holland where he received his MD degree systematist of all time Carl from University of Harderwijk. In Holland, his Linnaeus or Carl Linne’ is Systema Naturae appeared in 1735, the publication of regarded as ‘Father of which was financed by the famous physician and Taxonomy”. He is naturalist Dr John Frederik Gronovius. This work considered to be the provided the foundation for the classification of all greatest figure in systematic plants and animals. On his return journey, he met Dr botany and is hailed by Hermann Boerhaave in Amsterdam who persuaded many of his contemporaries Linnaeus to stay with him and identify a collection of as starting a new epoch in plants received from Ceylon. Here, he met Mr George Botany. He was born on Clifford, Director of the Dutch East India Company as May 23, 1707 in Rashult, Southern Sweden. His well as a wealthy banker and became his personal father Nils Ingemarsson Linnaeus was both an avid physician. For Linnaeus, the living conditions at gardener and a Lutheran pastor. But, Carl had neither Clifford’s were the best of his life as for the first time, aptitude nor desire for the priest hood. He was he was free from all financial worries and was able to interested in the study of plants since his childhood. publish several important manuscripts at Clifford’s In 1716, Linnaeus went to the primary school at the expense. In 1737, his Genera Plantarum and Flora city Vaxjo and in 1724 passed to the gymnasium Lapponica were published. Later, his Hortus there, but with meager results in the clerical faculty. Cliffortianus also appeared which was based on the Instead, his interest in Botany made an impression on collection of Clifford’s garden at Hartecamp. He also a local physician John Rothman on whose visited England, were he met several prominent recommendation his father sent him to the closest naturalists of his time including Prof JJ Dillen and Sir University, i.e. University of Lund in 1727 to study Hans Solane. In April 1738, he visited France where medicine, but in 1729 he moved to University of he met de Jussieu brothers. His Classes Plantarum Uppsala, where he came under the guidance of the appeared in 1738, Philosophia Botanica in 1751 and Dean, Olaf Celsius, who introduced him to Dr Species Plantarum in 1753. Rudbeck. He published his first paper in 1729 under On his return to Stockholm in 1738, he established the guidance of Prof Rudbeck in 1927 on the sexuality a very large medical practice and was appointed as of plants and later named the genus Rudbeckia after personal physician to the Queen of Sweden. In 1739, him. He was appointed as demonstrator in Botany at he married Sara Elisabeth Morea in Stockholm and in Uppsala after his first publication and after one year the same year, he was one of the founders of the promoted to the rank of Docent. In 1730, he published ‘Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.’ In 1741, he an enumeration of the plants in the Uppsala Botanical was appointed Professor of Medicine and Botany at Garden under the Latinized titled of Hortus the University of Uppsala. The Swedish King Adolf uplandicus, which he used the system of Tournefort. Fredrik ennobled Linnaeus in 1757 after which, But in new edition of Hortus uplandicus, the plants Linnaeus took the surname Von Linne. He retired were classified according to his own system, i.e. the from the University in 1776. He died on January 10, sexual system. An expedition to Lapland in 1732, 1778 and was buried in the Uppsala Cathedral. After Linnaeus greatly increased his knowledge of nature his death, his collections come into the hands of his history. For the next few years, he studied those plants eldest son, Carl, who a Botanist and was appointed to not available to him at Uppsala. the chair at the University, formerly occupied by his The period 1735-1739 was exceedingly important father. On the death of his son in 1783, the collection in the life of Linnaeus. In 1735, he went to Germany reverted to Linnaeus’s widow and daughters, who 693

sold it to an English Botanist Dr James Edward Smith Classes Plantarum (1753), Genera Plantarum from whom the collections (including herbarium and (1754,5th ed.), Species Plantarum (1753), library) were purchased by the Linnean Society of Fundamenta Botanica (1735), Philosophia Botanica London and continue to be administered by that (1735), his Binomial System of Nomenclature and his organization. Artificial System of Classification. Linnaeus was not only a pioneer in Botany, he was also known for his research in Zoology, Medicine, While working on the plants in the Traditions of Mineralogy and Ecology. The greatest contribution of Prophet Muhammad, out of 80 plants 43 were found Linnaeus in the field of Systematic Botany are his to be named by Linnaeus. The list of these plants is as publications particularly Systema Naturae (1735), under:

Plant name Name in the traditions of Prophet Common name Muhammad

Acorus calamus L. Darirah Bach safed Allium cepa L. Basal Pyaz Allium sativum L. Fum,Thum Lahsun Anethum sowa L. Sunut Suwa Apium graveolens L. Karfas Ajmod Artemisia maritima L. Shih Kirmala Beta vulgaris L. Silq Chuqandar Cassia senna L. Sanna Sana Ceratonia siliqua L. Anam Cichorium intybus L. Hindba Kasni Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Nees & Eberm. Kafur Kapur Citrullus colocynthis (L) Schrad. Hanzal Indrayan Citrus limon (L.)Burm. f. Utruj Nimbu Citrus medica L. Utruj Bada Nimbu Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck Utruj Malta Crocus sativus L. Za’ fran Zafran Cucumis sativus L. Qiththa Khira Eruca vesicaria (L.) Cav. Jarjir Tara-mira Euphorbia pithyusa L. Shibrum ---- Ficus carica L. Teen Anjir Hordeum vulgare L. Sha’eer Jan Indigofera tinctoria L. Kutum Nil Lawsonia inermis L. Henna, Faghiya Mehndi Lepidium sativum L. Habb-ur-rashad Halim Narcissus tazetta L. Nargis Nargis Nigella sativa L. Habb-ul-rashad Kalaunji Ocimum basilicum L. Raihan Babui Tulsi Olea europaea L. Zaytun,Zayt Zaitun Origanum vulgare L. Marzanjush Sathra Oryza sativa L. Uruz Chaval Phoenix dactylifera L. Tamar (fruit) Nakhl (tree) Khajur Pistacia terebinthus L. Batm ------Portulaca oleracea L. Alhumqa’ Kulfa,Lunak Punica granatum L. Rumman Anar Rhus coriaria L. Sumaq Sumag Salvadora persica L. Miswak Pilu 694

Santalum album L. Hanut Chandan Solanum melongena L. Bazingan Baingan Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karst. Tarfa --- Thymus vulgaris L. Sa’tar --- Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Hulba Methi Triticum aestivum L. emend.Thell. Hintah Gundam Vitis vinifera L. Inab Angur

Plants named by Linnaeus find mention not only in Ricinus communis L. (Arandi) & Morus nigra the traditions of Islamic faith but also in other L. (Mulberry) in Christian faith. traditions, e.g. Ocimum sanctum L. (Tulsi)., Phyllanthus emblica L. (Aonla) and Aegle marmelos L. (Bel) in Hindu faith, Ficus religliosa L. (Pipal) and Sania Hamid Syzygium cumini L. (Jamun) in Buddhist faith, Botany Department Mangifera indica L. (Mango) & Ficus benghalensis University of Jammu L. (Banyan) in Jain faith & Arundo donax L. (Nal), Jammu and Kashmir