Linnaeus, Carl

Swedish scientist (1707 – 1778) who formalised the naming of plants using binomial nomenclature, originally with his publication of Species Planatarum (The Species of Plants) in 1753. The author of a named plant is abbreviated after the scientific name of a plant, for example Poa annua L. indicates that the author who named this plant is Linnaeus, for which he has been the authority for many species’ names.