Biography

Swedish botanist and student of Carl Linnaeus, Anders Dahl was appointed professor at the University in Åbo (Turku) just a few years before his early death. Born and raised in Våstergötland, his father was a priest in the parish of Varnhem until 1755 when the family moved to the nearby village of Saleby. The young Dahl received a collection of plants from his uncle and took an interest in botany early on. He was particularly keen on the cryptogamic plants. At school in Skara his interest in natural history grew and at the age of 19 he and some friends founded the Swedish Topographical Society in Skara. Members of the group wrote papers on all variety of topics, from the flora and fauna of Våstergötland to its economy and historic monuments.

In 1770 Dahl studied under Linnaeus at the University of Uppsala. The following year, however, his father passed away and he was forced to abandon his studies in order to support his family. It was not until 1776 that Dahl was able to sit his candidate exams in medicine. After passing these exams and with a recommendation from Linnaeus, he gained the position of keeper of Clas (Claes) Alströmer's botanic garden and herbarium. He lived with Alströmer just outside of Gothenburg until 1785 when the pair had to move because of Alströmer's financial situation. During this period he undertook many expeditions in Scandinavia, gathering material for his master as well as for his personal collection. After the death of Linnaeus' son in 1783, the pair received a set of duplicates from the Linnaean herbarium (the Herbarium parvum or 'Little Herbarium'). Interestingly, Dahl was active in the bid to keep Linnaeus's collections in Sweden, he even found a buyer for them in Gothenburg, but it was too late and the entirety was sold to James Smith in London. Dahl also contributed valuable information about the local flora to his friend, Adam Afzelius, for use in the Flora Suecica which he was working on at this time. In 1786 Dahl was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Kiel (Germany).

In 1787 he became an associate professor and demonstrator in botany at the Åbo Akademi, the only university in Finland at the time. It was located in the old capital, now known as Turku. While in Gothenburg Dahl had scarcely published any works, but in his two years at Turku (before his death aged just 38) he produced his most important publication, Observationes botanicae circa systema vegetabilium divi a Linne Gottingae (1787). Dahl's friend, Carl P. Thunberg, named a genus of Hamamelidaceae after him in 1792. One year previously, however, the Spaniard Antonio José Cavanilles had named the Asteraceae genus Dahlia in honour of his Swedish correspondent.

Sources:
A.S. Hökerberg, 2000, Men around Linnaeus: 34
L. Petrusson, 1999, "Andreas Dahl", Department of Phanerogamic Botany at the Swedish Museum of Natural History:
http://www2.nrm.se/fbo/hist/dahl/anddahl.html.en.

Biography

Swedish botanist and student of Carl Linnaeus, Anders Dahl was appointed professor at the University in Åbo (Turku) just a few years before his early death. Born and raised in Våstergötland, his father was a priest in the parish of Varnhem until 1755 when the family moved to the nearby village of Saleby. The young Dahl received a collection of plants from his uncle and took an interest in botany early on. He was particularly keen on the cryptogamic plants. At school in Skara his interest in natural history grew and at the age of 19 he and some friends founded the Swedish Topographical Society in Skara. Members of the group wrote papers on all variety of topics, from the flora and fauna of Våstergötland to its economy and historic monuments.

In 1770 Dahl studied under Linnaeus at the University of Uppsala. The following year, however, his father passed away and he was forced to abandon his studies in order to support his family. It was not until 1776 that Dahl was able to sit his candidate exams in medicine. After passing these exams and with a recommendation from Linnaeus, he gained the position of keeper of Clas (Claes) Alströmer's botanic garden and herbarium. He lived with Alströmer just outside of Gothenburg until 1785 when the pair had to move because of Alströmer's financial situation. During this period he undertook many expeditions in Scandinavia, gathering material for his master as well as for his personal collection. After the death of Linnaeus' son in 1783, the pair received a set of duplicates from the Linnaean herbarium (the Herbarium parvum or 'Little Herbarium'). Interestingly, Dahl was active in the bid to keep Linnaeus's collections in Sweden, he even found a buyer for them in Gothenburg, but it was too late and the entirety was sold to James Smith in London. Dahl also contributed valuable information about the local flora to his friend, Adam Afzelius, for use in the Flora Suecica which he was working on at this time. In 1786 Dahl was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Kiel (Germany).

In 1787 he became an associate professor and demonstrator in botany at the Åbo Akademi, the only university in Finland at the time. It was located in the old capital, now known as Turku. While in Gothenburg Dahl had scarcely published any works, but in his two years at Turku (before his death aged just 38) he produced his most important publication, Observationes botanicae circa systema vegetabilium divi a Linne Gottingae (1787). Dahl's friend, Carl P. Thunberg, named a genus of Hamamelidaceae after him in 1792. One year previously, however, the Spaniard Antonio José Cavanilles had named the Asteraceae genus Dahlia in honour of his Swedish correspondent.

Sources:
A.S. Hökerberg, 2000, Men around Linnaeus: 34
L. Petrusson, 1999, "Andreas Dahl", Department of Phanerogamic Botany at the Swedish Museum of Natural History:
http://www2.nrm.se/fbo/hist/dahl/anddahl.html.en.