Species Thesium thunbergianum

Pictures from Observations

There aren’t any identifications of Thesium thunbergianum.

Range:

Location unknown

Locations of Identifications

Etymology of Thesium:

Derivation uncertain. Gk. thes = a hired labourer. An ancient name for a species of Linaria, toad flax, used by Pliny the Elder. Georg Christian Wittstein traces this to the legendary hero Theseus, who slew the Minotaur and to whom Ariadne gave a wreath in which this plant was woven.

Etymology of thunbergianum:

For Carl Pehr (Peter) Thunberg (1743–1828), Swedish botanist, physician, student of Linnaeus, professor of botany and medicine at Uppsala University (1784–1828) who visited the Cape from 1772–1775 to study the Cape’s flora.

Scientific name:

Thesium thunbergianum A. DC.

Etymology source:

The Illustrated Dictionary of Southern African Plant Names

Synonym of:

Unknown

Long etymology:

Thunberg did extensive botanical exploration in the southern Cape where no botanical collecting had been done, amassing some 3 100 species. In 1775 he went to Japan, Java and Sri Lanka for 15 months. Thunberg published Flora Japonica (1784), his travel diaries (1788–1796), and Flora Capensis (in parts between 1807–1820). He presented his herbarium of 23 510 specimens and 25 000 insects to Uppsala University. He was made a knight of the Royal Order and received many honours.

Authors:

A. DC.

Protologue:

Prodr. (DC.) 14(2): 666 (1857)

Synonym status:

Accepted

Year published:

1857