April 8th 1752

Letters to Carl von Linné

Carl von Linné (1707 - 1778)
Swedish naturalist and physician.
Internationally recognized for his system of classifying plants, animals, and minerals.
Of lasting significance is Linné's binomial nomenclature for plants, which includes a genus name and a species name.
Among his works are:
"Systema Naturæ" from 1735.
"Species Plantarum" from 1753.

Illustrious Sir,

I send this letter to you ahead of all others, as a disciple and friend of Haller, the Doctor from Göttingen. Even if I were better known in the literary world than my years and abilities allow, scarcely would there be a more fitting argument to seek your favor.

I too am your disciple, Illustrious Sir, since those from whose writings we have benefited most are doctors of public esteem, such as yourself, whom we revere not merely for their proximity or ease of acquaintance, but for their public merits.

Fortified by the testimonials of illustrious men Haller and Walhof, I arrived in Copenhagen four months ago and have been fortunate. I am German (from Ansbach), seeking favor with our King. His Majesty has informed me that he approves of my proposal to devote my best efforts under his dominion. I am not yet in a definite position, nor am I a member of the University. Meanwhile, with the court's approval, I shall engage in botanical work.

There is hope that a Botanical Garden will be established in this city. For now, the path must be prepared to execute this purpose. It has pleased me to initiate this endeavor. I have been granted a plot in one of the royal gardens in this city, and I am promised the necessary resources.

I will be greatly assisted by the illustrious Haller in every way possible. Today, I write to present myself to you, Illustrious Sir. Thus, without doubt, he will commend me to you in his own words. I am confident that you will support our efforts, as you have rightly praised the merits of others in describing their gardens in Uppsala. I hope that my studies will not disappoint your benevolence towards me.

Therefore, I implore you repeatedly to assist me, Illustrious Sir. With your permission, I will specify the resources needed. Meanwhile, judging by the start, I find no shortage of work and, with the utmost judgment, what could be suitable for the soil of Copenhagen. Having reviewed the catalog of the Göttingen garden, I understand what I can expect and what I cannot. Please send me seeds of plants that will be ready as soon as possible.

Expenses incurred will be met as soon as they are indicated. Mutual obligations will be fulfilled promptly, whenever the opportunity arises.

In the course of time and our literary exchange, if I may hope for this honor and joy, we will examine how not only seeds but also entire plants can be transported to Copenhagen.

If I am admitted late to this business, which I will accept, I foresee that, after many years have passed, the beginning will be difficult, as all beginnings are, and therefore the progress may be slower. But even so, I hope my efforts will achieve some success, which surely will not escape the fair judgment of your eyes.

I hope for a timely response to this letter, and a favorable response indeed, if I prove myself to you as an admirer and cultivator of arts akin to your own art and that of similar esteemed men.

Illustrious Sir,

With the utmost respect and deference,

Most ready to prove myself,

Georgius Christianus Oeder

Copenhagen, April 8, 1752

I add the address for the letter to be delivered to me:

To Oeder, Doctor of Medicine and Corresponding Member
of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Göttingen,
at Copenhagen
[address]

To Mr. Linnaeus,
Physician-in-Chief and Professor
of Medicine at Uppsala


June 20th 1761

Copenhagen, 20th June 1761

To the renowned Linnaeus,

Knight of the Order of the Polar Star,

Physician to the Royal Majesty of Sweden,

Professor at the University of Uppsala,

Georg Christian Oeder sends his warmest regards.

Dear Mr. Linnaeus,

I hereby send you a program for the work "Flora Danica," which our court envoy will deliver to you along with this letter, by order of the king. I also promise you a copy of the work itself with the colored illustrations, a gift from our generous king, who supports not only useful arts and sciences but also the most distinguished scholars. Therefore, Mr. Linnaeus, I firmly hope that you will not only be a kind advocate of this work among your colleagues but also a promoter and supporter of our botanical institute as a whole, especially our garden. I have seen no better opportunity than this to ask for your support and friendship, which I have respectfully sought many times before. Therefore, I ask you to regard me as your student and rest assured that I will be grateful and extremely willing to reciprocate this favor, should you wish to contribute some of the seeds and roots you may have to spare for our newly established garden. Our garden is taking its first steps under the best conditions and the close personal supervision of our king, and no expense is spared. After spending a long time in Norway and now finally back in Copenhagen in a free study without restrictions and with clear guidelines for everything to be done in terms of building, filling, and decorating the garden, I can now devote myself fully to this task. Our country's trade extends through many parts of the world, including colonies outside of Europe, and there are still many opportunities for us to acquire plants that we can make more and more use of. Therefore, I hope that even though our garden is now only in its early stages and cannot avoid being poor, it will soon flourish, allowing us to delight our foreign friends by sharing the garden with them and providing mutual services. If our Arabian travelers, whom we recently heard arrived in Marseille, send seeds from the places they visit to me, I promise you, Mr. Linnaeus, an equal share of everything. And I ask you not to believe that I am trying to compete with the excellent Forskål, whom I greatly respect, but he was too attached to his own plans and did not really know how to gracefully withdraw, as the courtiers say. So, Mr. Linnaeus, do not believe that we harbor any ill will toward our friendly neighboring nation, even though there would have been no discussion at all about Mr. Forskål.

Additionally, as you see, I have arranged an index of your botanical pinacicle to facilitate the trade of plants with friends. It can easily be sent around the world with public couriers along with this letter. Under each number or letter representing each species, I provide notes on the species available to me, so you can see what I lack and what I can request. From the copy I have prepared for my own use and keep with me, copies can easily be made by an assistant whenever needed. Another great advantage of this index is that I use it in place of your catalog and have generic-trivial names written on wax tablets, oiled and hung on poles near the plants in our garden. I ask for your friendship and acceptance of its use, should you decide to grant it, and when I understand it, I will send another copy of the index with the noted species available to me. I will also handle everything related to the seeds and roots you kindly provide, and if you wish to instruct your gardeners to find them, I will ensure their efforts are rewarded. Farewell!

With the most respectful and esteemed regards from Mr. Ascanius.



September 9th 1761


Copenhagen, 9th September 1761

To the renowned Linnaeus,

Knight of the Order of the Polar Star,

Physician to the Royal Majesty,

and the most distinguished botanist,

Georg Christian Oeder sends his warmest regards.

Dear Mr. Linnaeus,

Your much appreciated letters, written on August 16th, finally reached me yesterday, which surprises me, and I emphasize that if you wish to respond to them and send them to Mr. Forskål, this should be done promptly to avoid delay. If it pleases you, I will ensure that my two letters on the same subject are sent to our envoy to the Ottoman Empire and to London, so they can be dispatched by the ships that depart annually from England to fetch Mocha in Arabia. These attempts can be executed, but I dare not guarantee that these letters will reach Forskål. Since our missionaries departed Constantinople for Marseille, we have heard nothing from our Arabian missionaries. Their plan was to stay in Byzantium for about two months and consider the best way to continue their journey.

In the past year, someone in England published a treatise on preserving seeds from various regions using wax. Would not your advice, Mr. Linnaeus, primarily go against the use of salt as a refrigerant?

Soon, I will send a copy of the first volume of my icons to my colleague, Mr. Kruger, who resides in Helsingør, and I ask him to promptly send it to you. It will include both a black-and-white copy of my book, belonging to my flora, and a part of the painted or illuminated copy, as I previously mentioned that I would gift to you. I will quickly finish the rest of these tables from your copy and send them to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can evaluate clean tables from the second full copy of my work and use this first volume to design your new edition of species, of which I ask you to transfer a copy to our man, Mr. Mangor, who is currently with you. Besides the title, nomenclature, and birthplaces are enclosed with this volume.

Regarding Mr. Forskål, whom I find worthy and corresponding to my dealings, I will further explain what I wrote in my previous letter. While considering finding a co-worker, he should have consulted our court administrator, who could not approve his choice of Mr. Falk, who had not been mentioned earlier. But since Mr. Forskål arrived late, after our young researchers discussed a suitable candidate, and he brought Mr. Falk without prior notice, he made our officials suspicious due to his excessive self-confidence. It was not surprising that this was not well received. However, I gladly accept that he values my friendship, as you confirm in your letters and Mr. Spengler, and I am pleased to know that he also acknowledges my sincerity, as Mr. Forskål attests. Above all, I value truth and strive to defend it, but without undermining my respect for my friends or great teachers in the field, and certainly not to be envious.

Therefore, Mr. Linnaeus, I ask you not to give credence to the suspicions of discord that have arisen due to rumors you mention spreading there. It seems you have no reason to doubt it. I have repeatedly assured Mr. Forskål that I will share the dried plants and seeds he sends me. Recently, when he wrote from Marseille, he requested permission to send his collections when opportunities arise and ships from any nation are available to our travelers, either to France to Sauvages or to England or Holland without delay. You can write directly to him at your convenience, and you will receive what I receive safely and intact.

If you still have the kind intention to accept my seeds for my newly established garden, I will gladly supply you with the seeds you hope for. I am not only willing to make these available to you, although our garden is currently in its infancy and we may not be able to provide you with anything in return in the first years, I am ready to pay for the gifts you give me, if desired.

Summer is still intense here with us, and autumn still seems far away. When the plant counts for my current collection are completed, I will send you a brochure as previously mentioned with accompanying figures.

Before winter, I expect, on Mr. Miller's request, good supplies of seeds and bulbs from Chelsea Garden, both from France, Holland, and Germany, and also from Mr. Haller, who recently wrote to me about his new edition of his catalog and has sent appropriate young men to the Alps, especially the Rhaetian Alps, to look for new species at my own expense. He is now the inspector of the saltworks in Bern and resides in a valley in the Alps.

Soon, I also expect Mr. Gorter's English flora, which he has left to a friend of mine in Norway, when he arrives with a ship to search for his homeland with his whole family, abandoned in St. Petersburg and all his fortune.

Farewell, and I appreciate your kind attention.

Copenhagen, 9th September 1761.



September 21th 1761

21 september 17612
I henhold til løftet i det seneste brev sender jeg de bedste hilsener
Oeder
København den 21. september 1761.
Til Monsieur
Monsieur Linnaeus
Ridder af Nordstjerneordenen,
Læge ved Hans Majestæt
af Sveriges hof og professor ved
Universitetet i



December 8th 1762



To the esteemed gentleman,

Carl von Linné,

Knight of the Order of the North Star, Royal Physician, etc.

Georg Christian Oeder sends his warmest regards.

Having inspected the first volume of your new edition of the book "Species Plantarum," which has only recently reached my hands, I am compelled once again to request, as I did in my last letter, that you refrain from referring to the illustrations in "Flora Danica" other than by simply mentioning the plate numbers and omitting the names.

I have explained in the preface to the publication the reasons why we publish the illustrations of plants separately from the descriptions or text, as it is commonly called. It is clear to anyone examining the specimens enclosed in the first volume of illustrations that the sole purpose was to provide at least the synonyms from the most prominent authors who have aided in identifying each plant either by description and selection of characteristics or by illustrations, so that buyers do not receive entirely unknown plants while the text was prepared. I provide these synonyms, of which none is publicly declared or desired to be sanctioned under my name, as this certainly is not my task in this place, if it ever will be. I arrange these synonyms in chronological order, starting with the discoverer and ending with the latest entry in your "Pinax," excluding intermediaries who have not contributed significantly to the plant's history, except for Caspar Bauhin, the collector of synonyms up to his time. I cannot convince myself that it makes any difference whether you follow a direct or reverse chronological order or conclude anything about my attitude toward the authors I cite, as if those I mention first are of greater importance to me, or that I hold you, as the leading figure in the field, in lower esteem because I cite your latest work last.

Given this, I had hoped and indeed expected that you would cite this first volume by merely mentioning the plate numbers, and since I have included your names everywhere, including the trivial ones, after mentioning your own books, you would add my Flora, as has been done by Cornus suecica.

But you chose, dear Sir, generally to cite the name I have adopted as the first synonym for each plate, which, although very different from my opinion, could have been tolerated if you had simultaneously mentioned the authors' books from which these synonyms are derived. But now, when readers of your book see, for example, under Saxifraga Stelleri (and the same applies to many other places where my references occur), the final line: Sedum alpinum 13 Oed. Dan. t. 23, what are these readers to think of me, as long as they have not seen my book and do not know me, and what are they to think of you, which I say with all respect, when they have access to my book? In the first case, they would think I was a foolish person unless a forbearing person, who finds it unlikely that such a person could be assigned to perform a work under a royal name, or anyone accustomed to reading Clusius' works, will suspect a typographical error. In the second case, they will marvel at the strange citation and the meaning attributed to my words and my intent. Frankly, dear Sir, if you calmly consider the whole matter, you will find it so constructed that one who wishes to undermine me and my work subtly could do so almost in this way.

But I am convinced that your heart's openness is not surpassed by your profound knowledge, and that far from having such intentions, you would rather regret that an occasion has been given for such suspicion.

You hardly know me yet, dear Sir, except for what Forskålius, as you have written yourself, has reported about me to you, and although I have not made myself notable, I remember nothing in myself that would bring shame upon me and the task I have been entrusted with, in which everything must be arranged from the beginning and remain at an early stage.
Therefore, appreciating you and your friendship, if I should deserve it, I do not wish to seek any person's, however famous they may be, goodwill in any other way than that which suits us both.

Thus, convinced of your openness and fairness, dear Sir, I hope that you will be willing to prevent the harm that my citations in your work, albeit involuntary on your part, may cause me, and that you will rectify the harm done.

As soon as a suitable opportunity presents itself, I will send you a complete copy of the first fascicle colored by our best workers, and I ask you to return the half that is now in your hands to the distinguished young Fabrizius, who will deliver this letter to you. The second fascicle is in press. However, until the complete one is published, I will send you, if you wish, the separate plates that have been printed, namely the uncolored ones.

Forskålius' latest letters from Cairo were dated June of this year and sent via Livorno, from where I expect seeds and manuscripts he mentions daily, if the diligence of the merchants does not fail. Included in these letters was a sample specimen of a plant he intended to name after me, but this plant is certainly a species of Cleome and indeed a violet one. If you wish, I will send it to you.

Farewell, and be assured that I am among those who consider it a great honor to have won the most prominent figures in the art.

Copenhagen, December 8, 1762


January 3th 1763

To the Honorable Mr. Linnaeus,

Georg Christian Oeder sends his warmest regards.

Not in anger, but in love of truth and my honor, which should be precious to a good man and must not be overshadowed by anything, I feel compelled to respond to your recent letter dated December 24, 1762. I have decided to respond briefly and clearly, so I enclose my comments on selected parts of your letter.

I will not add more than a reminder of the honor with which I honor you, esteemed sir, because of your great merits in botany, although it may not be fitting for me to do so publicly. Farewell!

Copenhagen, January 3, 1763.

Excerpt from your letter

"As you are angry, as I can see, you may not accept the reasons that, if you did accept them, would cause you not to be angry with me, but rather with yourself. If I may speak as a friend, my conclusion would be as follows.

Upon your instigation, the most generous King of Denmark sent you:

to his domains to examine the native plants.

An excellent artist beautifully illustrated the plants. You added synonyms in chronological order, since none of them pleased you. I do not understand, and perhaps no one else does, how you can publish a royal work without descriptions on the spot and especially without names given to the plants, which I have never seen done by anyone except Merian in her Surinamese work, but she was a woman.

I could not cite your Flora without names. There were no names, only synonyms. Therefore, I had to cite the first name in each paragraph to refer to the plate where the plant was illustrated, not to give a name, as you had no actual name.

Who has ever cited the last synonym from an author? If I had done so, what would you and others have thought of me and my learning?

But you insist that I should have named the author from whom you took your first name. Many times I have cited Vaillant, Barrelier, etc., where they used Tournefort's name (without mentioning Tournefort), when I wished to refer the reader to a beautiful observation or illustration. I did not cite the older authors because of their erroneous names but for their illustrations; if I had cited an old author, the reader would have thought that I was referring to the observation and would have felt misled.

Caspar Bauhin also proposed synonyms in chronological order, but he always placed his own name before them. If you had done the same, you would not have been angry with me or others. You accuse yourself of an error, not other good people. If you want my advice, then, when you publish the next installment, issue a catalog of your names so that readers know which name to use. This requires artistry from you. This is appropriate for one who publishes such a magnificent and truly royal work; also add, if you wish, your descriptions, so that malicious people do not misinterpret your actions and say that the artist did an excellent piece of work while you did nothing."

My comments

Let me only defend myself, and without any jealousy in my words, let me say what you may not know, that the entire botanical project in Copenhagen was started and continues according to my instructions. I selected the artist whom you praise, and under my guidance, he paints. Please do not look down on this man, whom other serious men know better than you do.

Synonyms neither please nor displease. They are taken where found and cited not for the sake of the name (which does not contribute to the understanding of the plant and only brings to mind a well-known idea) but to clarify the place in the book that is cited.

Why not? Can one not publish a collection of illustrations without descriptions, just as one can publish descriptions without illustrations, like geographical maps without geography and geography without maps?

Descriptions are promised and will be published within a few years, which I hope you live long enough to see. The reasons why the descriptions are separated from the illustrations are explained in my program, which you should read before criticizing.

The illustrations are now published in lieu of the herbarium, and Merian, while she only presented the forms, did it right, though she was a woman. If she had added names, what could they have contributed to the understanding of the plant outside of the system? However, we add synonyms so that buyers of this herbarium, which we temporarily offer them, can compare it with botanical writings.

Could you not? If you had always cited my Flora as under Veronica 13 and Cornus 4, or as you cite Miller's, Du Hamel's, and Plumier's illustrations in Systema Naturae.

You should have cited the number engraved on the plate, which is placed in front of each paragraph.

When authors are cited, synonyms collected by them are not cited, but their own or those declared by them, no matter where they wanted to pass on or declare such names.

Absolutely not. If at the end of your names you had indicated that the plant, which you had determined, was illustrated with a number in Flora Danica, who could then have accused you of vanity?

Rightly so, as you could not fail to notice that by mentioning me but omitting the books from which the names come, which you cite as mine, these names are made ridiculous, and it is your own fault.

Vaillant and Barrelier &c. from Tournefort's school confessed to Tournefort's nomenclature. I have not confessed anything similar.

I also do not cite these older authors for the sake of names but for the honor due to discoverers and the first descriptions, especially the outstanding Clusius. Therefore, you should not have attributed these names to me without mentioning the authors at the same time.

Bauhin's purpose was to write a concordance of names, whereas my purpose was to guide buyers of the most important books, which they could compare with this herbarium.

If my prayers can achieve anything with you, I earnestly beg you to only cite our illustrations by mentioning the numbers engraved on the plates.

How do you demonstrate this? Is it necessary for every new author to increase the number of names, which botany already suffers too much from? Should it not be allowed for me through you to honor you and other masters in the art without constantly choosing a name and swearing by it? Is plant recognition based on the name or rather on the characteristics that distinguish each species from all others in the plant world? If someone wishes to organize characteristics invented, selected, and defined by himself or others for all known plants or for a specific number of plants, e.g., the wild plants in a region, in a fair order where readers are led to the characteristic that fits a given plant, and under each characteristic, separated from the neighbors, cite authors who have written about such a plant by either indicating the page and place in the book or adding the name that anyone has given to the plant; if he himself does not add a new name or declare one of the synonyms as his own, would you then blame such a man for his lack of art and today's learning, and call him ignorant of the world of literature and books?

These are truly malicious and ignorant of my promise in the program, or if they know the project's purpose, they are unfair and arrogant in despising what has not yet been published. It is not my intention to count you among such people, but you could have appropriately refrained from mentioning such a suspicion, which harms me no less than my superiors.



April 18th 1764

High and Honorable
Highly esteemed Sir Archiater
For Your Honor, I must explain the context with the enclosed letter from Mr. Miller.
My friend, Mr. Justice Councilor Hübner, who during his stay in London for several years now has facilitated my correspondence with Mr. Miller, wrote to me on March 21 last, stating that with a young Danish gardener who at that time had sailed from London to Helsingør, I would receive a package with a large supply of seeds from Mr. Miller. Last Saturday, 8 days after the letter arrived, the person with the package appeared, whom I opened it in his presence and searched for a letter, as nothing was attached except on top; therefore cut the envelopes, an outer and inner one, because under the outer one was a letter to me, and under the inner one the seed capsules, 168 in number. Upon reading my letter, I found these words: "I have also sent a small parcel for Dr. Linnaeus, which I beg you will be so good as to forward as soon as you possibly can," and asked the person, by letting him read the words himself, where this second package was. He replied that he had only what was before our eyes, but that Mr. Hübner, when he took leave of him, had spoken about something which he would send him during his stay, but that he immediately had to go on board, so that if something had come to the gardener's quarter, it was too late.

Now I could therefore by comparing the gardener's report with what Mr. Hübner had written and what Mr. Miller himself writes about a small parcel, not think otherwise, than that the package for Your Honor was forgotten in London, and so I gave myself to insert the labels of the capsules in my catalog for the current year and to number them.

But the day after, when the envelopes from which the capsules had been taken had to be removed, on the inner and consequently hidden side of the inner envelope was found a letter to Your Honor, attached to the envelope.

In this dilemma and in the hope of finding information in the letter, I proposed to my colleague, whom I know Your Honor trusts, if he would undertake to open the letter, and since there is also mention of "a few seeds" in it, just as in the one to me about "a small parcel," it is still undecided whether Mr. Miller understood the package that came to me, containing 168 capsules, thus not insignificant, and not "a few seeds," or if he means another package that must have been forgotten.

To get out of the matter in a fair way, I have taken some grains out of the capsules of the varieties that I lack, and packed them back together, and today I shall deliver the package to the Swedish Chargé d'affaires with the request that he will see it forwarded soon. I think that even if it should turn out that this package has been intended for Your Honor from the very beginning, My Lord will not regret that I have taken some grains out of the capsules, nor my handling of the matter. If anything comes up to me that may fail with you, it is gladly at your service.

After half a year's old news from Livorno and quite new ones from Amsterdam, we can expect the arrival of some seeds from our missionaries in Arabia very soon. If that package arrives in Your Honor's hands, it shall be promptly forwarded by me. From the previous seeds of Mr. Forskål, some beautiful herbs have emerged with us, and their remains shall be cultivated and nurtured by myself this year, as I will be present in Copenhagen in the summer, but there will certainly be some of Mr. Forskål's new genera to be included, e.g., Oederia n. is Cleome; Thaumasta is Hypecoum, Gramen singulare is Crucianella. I have orders to have the new and particularly rare ones that emerge from Mr. Forskål's seeds drawn. As soon as some copies of the third installment of Flora Danica of the finest kind are finished, Your Honor shall receive yours.


{div-signature}
With great consideration,
Your High and Honorable
humble servant
Oeder

Copenhagen, April 18, 1764



April 13th 1768

For the record
Since I now have no friend in Stockholm ready to handle my small errands as Mr. Konstrup did before, I will in the future entrust this copy of Flora Danica, painted in colors, to Mr. Faxel, secretary of the Swedish legation at our court, whom I shall send to the venerable Mr. Linnaeus as a royal gift, starting with the sixth volume, which has not yet reached Mr. Linnaeus due to Konstrup's departure. However, I ask the venerable Mr. Linnaeus to send a receipt for the receipt of the gift to the aforementioned Mr. Faxel, who will deliver it to me when he receives the book.

The second volume of the latest edition of Systema Naturae, which has only recently reached us, has prompted me to make the following minor remarks, which I hope the author of the system will not take too heavily.

Peplis portula is equipped with petals when it grows lushly, but usually lacks them when the plants grow in dry places and are smaller and more stunted.

Saxifraga caespitosa is attributed yellow petals in Systema Naturae, but in our volume 71 the petals are white, only slightly yellowish and greenish.

Regarding Saxifraga aizoides, volume 72 is referenced. However, in our specimens, the leaves always have prickly edges, which is the only difference from the autumnal aizoides, if they differ at all. The color of the petals often varies from lighter to darker, and the sepals are either green or faintly reddened on the same plant. Ström and Gunnerus have identified the Norwegian as the autumnal aizoides with me.

Juncus triglumis is referenced in volume 120. Certainly, volume 130, which we call triglumis, corresponds to the flora in Lapland volume 10, figure 5. This figure of Linnaeus' Juncus triglumis is very different from our volume 120 and from the figure of Juncus biglumis in Amoenitates Academicae. The leaves in my description, which I wrote down, were present when the figure in volume 120 was painted from a live plant; I now see, upon rereading, that they were slightly twisted and subulate.


Regarding Scirpus caespitosus, volume 167 is referenced. It is not Scirpus acicularis, as later volume 287 shows. In the naming of this volume, I noted that it is caespitosus, which I am still not convinced of, as the stems are neither striped in the figure nor in the description, which I now reread carefully prepared at the same time as the plant was shown to the artist. The remarkable glumes that make the axis called bilobate are not observed in my plants, nor is the leafy ligule that comes from the mouth of the leaf sheath and surrounds the base of the stem, which is normally or always present in Scirpus caespitosus.

I see that Stratiotes is left among the hermaphrodites, which certainly is dioecious, if any plant is dioecious. Besides the difference in the sexual organs, there is also a big difference in that the female flowers are always solitary in their sheath, at the top of the oblique triangular thick axis, while the male flowers are many in a common sheath, each separated with its own bract on its own long, round, soft stalks. However, the female flowers appear to be hermaphroditic due to the stack-like structures that resemble stamens, placed around the style. However, it is clear to the attentive observer that these rods are not true stamens, as in the male flower they surround the true stamens with polleniferous anthers. Since the male plants are much rarer than the female ones and do not grow in our Zealand except in ponds that are not always and everywhere available, this seems to be the reason why males have not yet been observed in Denmark. However, I will investigate this further at the given opportunity. In Holstein and Oldenburg, where the plant is more widespread and more easily accessible in ditches, I have often observed male flowers. Although they are few and sometimes far from the female flowers, the female flowers hardly seem to be able to do without them, as reproduction also occurs through the roots, as we see with other dioecious plants, where the separation of male and female plants is prevented by distances.

Rubi chamaemori flowers seem to lack one sex in volume 1 of Flora Danica.

The icon of Chara hispida in volume 154 shows the character of Chara, which rightly is transferred from algae to Phanerogams.
I would like to know where the venerable Archiater places Stellaria in volume 92 of Flora Danica and Draba in volume 143, as well as Poa maritima Hudsoni in volume 251, a plant that is widespread worldwide and known among economists in Oldenburg, and therefore should also have its rightful place among botanists, and Subularia Dilleni in Muscorum volume 81, which, if my assumption is correct, is just a variation of Plantago uniflora covered with polyps and should be removed from botanical indexes, although it is accepted as a separate genus by Adanson.

I would have liked Koenigia to be named Bergeria, as intended by its discoverer, in honor of the venerable Archiater Berger, his patron, and the first royal commissioner of the botanical institute in Copenhagen, just as Tournefort called Fagonia after the royal physician and superintendent of the garden in Paris. I had already shown a figure of the plant that Koenig brought from Iceland in Flora Danica volume 6, except for the hope of seeing the living plant grow from the seeds brought with it.

Copenhagen, April 13, 1768.

Oeder


February 24th 1770

To the Honorable Sir,
Carl Linnaeus,
Knight of the Order of the Polar Star, Royal Archiater, etc.
Georg Christian Oeder sends his warmest regards.
In my response to your two letters, the first dated October 4, 1769, and the second recently received, dated January 26 of last year, I hope for your forgiveness for the delay my reply to the first letter has suffered. Many worries and tasks distant from the world of botany have kept me occupied throughout the past year and the first part of this year. I have awaited events closely concerning me and my fate, as well as the outcome of concerns about our garden, which have not lightened but rather grown heavier during this time.

Having heard from our friend Zoege and from Murray in Göttingen that you, esteemed sir, have thought to honor my name by giving a new genus of plants my name, and that you wished for me to choose a plant which I liked best, I decided upon a lily, which I have described in the enclosed note, and I awaited an illustration of it from an artist. The reasons for this choice, if I may venture to suggest one, are that I desire a plant that is pleasant to behold and can be cultivated here without great difficulty, and therefore I have proposed this one. Since this naming is an honor in the botanical world, it is pleasing to have such memorials associated with our name. It now rests with you to choose between the proposed one and the bulbous lily, which I had thought to suggest.

I regret to inform you that good news cannot reach König this year, as one of our Indian ships, which was to reach the Tranquebar coast on its way to China, was detained and damaged by ice and therefore could not leave port and now must sail directly to China. I am all the more sorry as I know he eagerly awaits good news. He now receives double salary, both as physician to the religious mission and as royal natural historian, a title which the king has added with a pension of 180 imperials for life, whereas previously he was promised only for four years. I believe both these salaries together amount to about 500 thalers of our silver.

At a later date, I will send you an illustration of your Sibthorpia peregrina, which is cultivated from seeds sent by König from Madeira and is thriving well. He will send you more seeds along with some other rare plants that we receive and grow here.

Enclosed, I present an illustration of a fungus that I found in the autumn and am unsure how to classify. Its structure is very unique. I found only this single specimen.

The ninth installment of "Flora Danica" will soon be published, along with the first part of "Enumerationis plantarum Florae Danicae," which includes cryptantherae. I will send both books to you at the first opportunity, along with a political treatise on the conditions of peasants that I published last year anonymously, in German, and which has recently been translated into Danish.

This was written on February 21.
Now that the letter is to be concluded and sent by post tomorrow, February 25, the artist regrets that he has not yet completed the illustration of the promised lily. However, I do not wish to delay the letter and its attachments any longer, which include a sheet with my description of the bulbous plant, König's plant, which you called Oedera speciosa, Forskål's plant, which he called Justicia paniculata, a sample specimen of Forskål's plant, and some seeds of the bulbous plant.

Regarding the publication of Forskål's posthumous works, I cannot yet say anything definite until Mr. Niebuhr has completed his travel account, and the format and appearance of the books are determined. While Mr. Niebuhr works on his work, we will, as much as time and other obligations allow, organize Forskål's manuscripts. Our friend Zoege is nearly finished comparing dried herbs with our own. Since the deceased's handwriting is clear and written in oracles, I have made sure to have them copied on stitched paper blocks. These posthumous works will reveal many merits of this outstanding and diligent man, and I will do my best to honor his memory.

Farewell, esteemed sir, and please continue to favor me, who honors you in relation to your great merits!
Hafnia, February 24, 1770.
You will soon receive illustrations of the bulbous plant and the fungus.