smithsonianlibraries:You might not think of plant taxonomy as a racy subject, but when Carl Linnae
smithsonianlibraries: You might not think of plant taxonomy as a racy subject, but when Carl Linnaeus introduced his sexual system of classifying plants in the 18th century, it did cause a stir in some quarters. Linnaeus honed in on the reproductive parts of plants in order to distinguish different species. The obvious romantic associations this might conjure definitely come through in Robert Thorton’s homage to Linnaeus, the romantic New Illustrations of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus (1807). It’s an opulent work that departs from the dry format of most scientific texts. This plate is a great example of this approach–Cupid aiming his quiver of love into the shrubbery! The plate even includes a poem by Scottish poet Charlotte Lennox: “And thou divine Linnaeus! Trac’d my Reign O'er Trees, and Plants, and Flora’s beauteous Train Prov’d them obedient to my soft Controul And gaily breathe the aromatic soul.” -- source link