Daniel
Solander
Painting by William Parry
Linnean Society, London
Daniel
Solander: The
Botanist and Nature's Argonaut
Daniel
Solander(1733 - 1782)
was
born on the 19th of February, 1733 in Öjebyn, old
town of Piteå, in northern Sweden and was brought
up in the parsonage at Björklunda in Öjebyn. He studied
botany in Uppsala for many years under the leadership
of Carl von Linné. In 1759 Solander travelled to England
and he soon became a respected member of the Royal
Society, the English Science Academy. When captain
James
Cook left on his famous voyage with the Endeavour
around the world on the 26th of August 1768, the Swede
Daniel Solander was one of the men on board the ship.
Thousands of plants and animals, especially insects
were gathered, described and named by Solander during
this voyage and in New Zealand and Australia there
are many places named after Daniel Solander. Solander
never returned to Sweden. He died at the age of 49
in England on the 13th of May 1782.
