Kaiser Medical Center in Oakland

My husband and I recently walked through the latest addition to the Kaiser Medical Center in Oakland, at the intersections of Broadway, MacArthur Boulevard, Piedmont Avenue, and Interstate 580. We were both impressed with the landscaping, which completely eliminates lawns and relies on a palette of hardy, attractive, low-water plants.

Entering the site from Broadway - attractive planter

We were waiting for our car to be serviced at the nearby Honda dealer, so had a rare opportunity to stroll through the grounds. Only a few people were on the premises, no doubt finishing up last minute details before the grand opening in July. The Emergency sign was still cloaked.

View to the Emergency entrance

I’ve reported on Kaiser landscaping projects before (see Kaiser Meditation Garden in Pleasanton, and Trellis Spotting in Oakland). I must have an affinity for their practical approach to landscaping. The attractive grounds provide a subtle, life-affirming back drop for those hurrying to doctor appointments, and lab tests. My husband and I were inspired to look into new ground cover ideas to replace our small patches of drought-withered grass.

 

Attractive utilitarian landscaping off Piedmont Avenue

Carl Peter Thunberg in Asia

Carl Peter Thunberg sailed by Dutch East Indies Company ship from Cape, South Africa on March 2, 1775 for Japan, at the age of 32. He was now fluent in Dutch, and a proficient plant collector, scientist, and physician. They stopped in Batavia, Jakarta, an important capital and center for the Company, and stayed a month, and then continued their journey on June 21, 1775. They arrived in Nagasaki, Japan on August 14, 1775.

Japan

The Japanese, fearing foreign influence, allowed minimal contact with outsiders, which was limited to the Chinese and Dutch. All Dutch foreigners were required to stay on the man-made island of Deshima, where the Dutch East India Company had a trading post, connected to Nagasaki by bridge. Thunberg acted as surgeon for the voyage, and his friendly manner and generous nature built trust with local Japanese doctors. Soon they were bringing plant specimens and seeds to him for his collection and to send to his patrons, along with information about their use. He was not able to see plants in situ, and did not realize that some were garden plants, many of which had been introduced from China in early cultural exchanges.

Japanese Black Pine (Pinus Thunbergii) - frequently used in bonsai (Creative Commons)

This trust opened doors for more contacts and opportunities for second-hand plant collecting and information gathering. Thunberg’s main interest was botany, but he recorded details about all aspects of Japanese culture. He genuinely admired the Japanese and enjoyed being an ambassador of Western culture and scientific knowledge. Over time he was invited to take day trips to Nagasaki to collect plants for making medicine, and to search for fodder for the Company’s animals. He was also invited to travel to Yeddo (modern day Tokyo) to honor the Shogun Teharu (who Thunberg refers to as the Emperor). Their party traveled in comfort and style, in sharp contrast with his travels by ox cart in South Africa.

Journey Home

After fifteen months in Japan, Thunberg started his journey home. He left Deshima on November 23, 1776, and returned to Java. There he spent six months collecting specimens, and was offered a job, which he turned down. On July 5, 1777, he left for Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka), where he collected many plants and wrote a paper on the cinnamon industry. On February 6, 1778, he set sale for Cape, South Africa. He stayed for 18 days and learned that Carl Linnaeus had died and his son succeeded him at University. Thunberg was offered the post of Demonstrator in Botany at University. Thunberg arrived in Amsterdam on October 1, 1778, and was welcomed by his friend Nicolaus Burman. He also received his salary and a large bonus for completing his obligations to the Dutch East India Company.

Thunberg used the money to spend the winter of 1778 in London. There he was provided for by Daniel Solander and J. Drvander (also students of Linnaeus). He met Sir Joseph Banks, a wealthy botanist who had also accompanied Captain James Cook on his first voyage, along with Solander, and was President of the Royal Society in London. Banks gave Thunberg access to his natural history collection for study. In the British Museum, Thunberg also studied the botanical collections, notes, and drawings of Engelbert Kaempfer, the only other European who had worked as a physician in Japan 100 years before Thunberg.

Sweden

Thunberg left for Sweden on January 30, 1779, and arrived on March 14, 1779, after eight and half years in the field. He was received by King Gustav, and earned financial support for future botanical projects. Thunberg worked at Uppsala University as a professor, and then succeeded the younger Carl Linnaeus upon his death as chair. He published many articles and books, including the important Flora Japonica and Flora Capensis, and was a lecturer on botany and Japanese culture. He corresponded with many botanists from his travels, including several from Japan.

In 1784, Thunberg married Brigitta Charlotta Ruda. They had no children together, but adopted several foster children. He established a new garden at the University, using land from King Gustav. He described nearly 1900 new plant specimens, and donated his large collection of 23,510 specimens (all labeled and documented) to Uppsala University. Thunberg died on August 8, 1828, several days after requesting a carriage ride around the garden and grounds at Uppsala University. He was loved and admired by his students, friends, and colleagues.

Learn more:

• Flora Capensis (download PDF, in Latin): http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/3649#/summary
• Flora Japonica (download PDF, in Latin): http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/3681#/summary
• Japan Extolled and Decried: Carl Peter Thunberg and the Shogun’s Realm, 1775-1796, annotated and introduced by Timon Screech (purchase or rent, in English): http://www.amazon.com/Japan-Extolled-Decried-Thunbergs-1775-1776-ebook/dp/B000OT8EJ6#reader_B000OT8EJ6

Carl Peter Thunberg in Africa

Carl Peter Thunberg sailed from Amsterdam for the Dutch colony of Cape in South Africa on December 30, 1771, at the age of 28. During the three and a half month journey to Cape, Thunberg worked as an assistant to the ship’s surgeon. Once in Cape, he worked for the Burmans and other Dutch sponsors on his natural history assignments. His goals were to become fluent in Dutch for his expedition to Japan, and to carry out botanical assignments to evaluate the commercial potential of African plants.



Blackeyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata) – photo by Jeff deLonge (Creative Commons)

Thunberg lived in Cape, and used it as a base for his research. A few days before his arrival, another Linnaeus apostle, Anders Sparrman, arrived to work as a tutor, and collect plants in his free time (he was 23, gregarious, and had already been to China to collect plants). The two collaborated somewhat, but Thunberg seemed to prefer working on his own. Seven months later, Sparrman joined Captain Cook as a botanist and surgeon on his second expedition. From 1772 to 1775, Thunberg conducted local botanical forays, and three major surveys along the coast and inland. These surveys were carried out during September through January, coinciding with the rainy season when plants were in bloom.

Expeditions:

• The Cape (1772, 1773, and 1775; and later in 1778 on his way home from Japan) – Thunberg explored the local environment looking for plant, animal, and fossil specimens; corresponded with fellow botanists; prepared reports of his findings; and sent manuscripts and materials to Linnaeus and his sponsors.
• First journey into Caffraria to Gamtoos River (September 1772 - January 1773) – Thunberg and his party travelled by wagon, drawn by oxen rather than horses, since oxen could better withstand the heat and lack of water. They stayed at Company farms along the way, and were impressed with the hospitality they received. His journal entries include observations about the countryside, plants, animals, and geology.
• Second journey into Caffraria to Sundays River (September 1773 - January 1774) – Thunberg headed northwest into the interior of South Africa, with fresh supplies and a new wagon. He travelled with Francis Masson, a Scottish gardener who had arrived with Sparrman the previous year, and had had been sent to collect African plants for Kew Gardens. Thunberg describes oxen and sheep farming, and aloe farming practices. He had harrowing experiences crossing swollen rivers, but faced the challenge calmly. Thunberg notes Hottentot rite of passages, and marriage customs.
• Third journey to Roggeveld (September 1774 - December 1774) – Thunberg travelled inland from the coast, stopping at Company farms. He obtained Lachenalia aloides while trying to find a short cut through some jagged rocks to the mountain he wished to climb. He collected African minerals, which he presented to the Royal Academy's Mineral Cabinet at Uppsala. They visited the Heerenlogement cave, and he remarked on the signatures on the cave wall (he did not leave his), and the ficus tree that had taken root in a fissure (the tree still lives today). A wagon accident caused the loss of part of his plant collection. Thunberg describes Hottentot customs, and notes several plants they used for food and beverage. He describes the dry terrain and people who inhabit the land – both colonists and native populations.

Thunberg collected close to 3000 plant specimens while in South Africa. A third of them were new discoveries. The genus Thunbergia is named after him. While in Cape, he also studied and documented species of Apionidae (Coleoptera). Interestingly, his specimens of this weevil, from the Zoological Museum of Uppsala University, have been reviewed recently to identify a possible new species of weevil (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3744141/).

 

Learn more:

• Travels at the Cape of Good Hope 1772-1775, by Carl Peter Thunberg (based on the English edition, London 1793-1775) – read entries from Thunberg’s journals
• The Linnaean Correspondence – search the archives for letters between Carl Peter Thunberg and Carl Linnaeus: http://linnaeus.c18.net/Letters/index.php

Linnaeus Apostle: Carl Peter Thunberg

Carl Peter Thunberg (1743 - 1828) was a Linnaeus apostle who traveled to South Africa, Japan, Java, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He worked in the field for close to nine years, collecting plant and animal specimens, and published numerous books and papers about his expeditions and discoveries. Thunberg has been called the “father of South African botany” and the “Japanese Linnaeus” and is honored in both countries.

Thunberg was small, but strong and wiry. He was a competent doctor and botanist, and his actions show him as kind, considerate, and generous (in later years he helped over 200 doctoral students with their dissertations, without charging them a fee). Dr. Heinz Goerke (a modern Linnaeus scholar) observes “A striking feature of Thunberg’s works is their cold objectivity. His interest in nature was purely scientific. He never sought adventure, nor does it seem that the beauty of a foreign scene, the strangeness of new plants or the circumstances of their discovery particularly moved him. His principal concern was the practical value of what he found.” What a fascinating contrast for someone who spent so many years in the field, living a great adventure!

Carl Peter Thunberg portrait by von Krafft der Jungere (Public domain)

Thunberg was born in Jönköping in Smålander, Sweden on November 11, 1743 to Margaretha and Johan Thunberg, a bookkeeper at an iron foundry, and owner of a small shop. Carl’s father died when he was a boy, so his mother supported him and his brother by running the shop. She later married a merchant, which improved their circumstances. Although poor, Margaretha made sure her sons received the best education possible, with the plan for them to become accountants. Thunberg spent nine years at the Uppsala University studying Latin, Theology, Law, and Philosophy, and then earned a doctorate in medicine, studying under Linnaeus.

Europe

After University, Linnaeus arranged a small grant for Thunberg to travel and study abroad in Holland and France. He arrived in Amsterdam in October 1770 and spent a year with botanists Johannes Burman (1707 – 1779) and his son Nikolaas Laurens Burman (1733-1793). They were both impressed with Thunberg’s ability to name and classify plants in their collection without consulting any references. Thunberg studied medical practices in Paris during the year. On his return to Amsterdam, he learned that the Burmans had arranged for his employment with the Dutch East India Company for service in Japan. At the time Japan was closed to trade with all foreigners, except the Dutch. Thunberg would need to become Dutch – familiar with the Dutch colonies and fluent in the Dutch language!



Journey of Carl Peter Thunberg - Europe, South Africa, Japan, Java, and Ceylon

Learn more:

• The IK Foundation – provides detailed information about natural and cultural history, including Carl Linnaeus and his apostles: http://www.ikfoundation.org/ifacts/carlpeterthunberg.php
• The Linnaean 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 194 – 197.