Linneaus Apostle: Pehr Löfling

Young Pehr Löfling set out from Sweden to Spain in 1751, to learn Spanish, and collect plant specimens. His friends and colleagues described him as a tall, slender, manly Swede, who made friends and won hearts wherever he went. Carl Linnaeus called him a beloved pupil and excellent botanist, who kept company with the brightest of his fellow students; and nicknamed him The Vulture, presumably because his sharp eyes spotted excellent plant specimens in the field. Löfling’s good friend, J. O. Hagström, spoke highly of his character – as being graced with virtue, common sense, and uprightness; and as being God-fearing, serious, affectionate, and loyal, with a quick understanding of Nature’s secrets.

Löfling was born in January 20, 1729 in Tolvfors, Valbo, Gästrikland, Sweden. His father was a bookkeeper at the local mill work. Löfling was educated by private tutor, and then entered Uppsala University in 1743 at the age of 14. He worked his way through school, as a tutor for Carl Linnaeus’s son; as a worker at the Uppsala Botanical Garden; and as an assistant for Linnaeus’s own writings. Initially, Löfling studied theology, but later switched to medicine and natural history. In 1751, Löfling graduated as a doctor of medicine (at the time, botany was an important area of study for physicians). He became a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the same year.

Loeflingia hispanica, a small annual herb, named after Pehr Löfling.

In 1750, the Spanish Ambassador in Stockholm asked Linnaeus to recommend a botanist to investigate the flora of Spain. At the time, plants were being discovered all over the world, and studied for economic potential. The King of Spain wanted the native plants of Spain to be so investigated. Linnaeus recommended his prize student, Pehr Löfling. In 1951, at the age of 22, Löfling headed by ship to Portugal, and then Spain to explore Spanish flora, and launch his career.

Learn more:

• The IK Foundation – provides detailed information about natural and cultural history, including Carl Linnaeus and his apostles: http://www.ikfoundation.org/ifacts/pehrlofling.php
• The Linnean Society of London – provides a comprehensive online collection of information, correspondence, specimens, art, and documents: http://www.linnean-online.org/
• Linnaeus The Compleat Naturalist, by Wilfrid Blunt. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford (2004). Chapter 6, “The Apostles,” pages 185, and 190 – 192.