16 CAROLUS LINN^US 



tion in allusion to an object in the landscape 

 near their home. That object was a remark- 

 ably large and ancient linden tree; a tree of 

 special note all over that part of the country. 

 Tiliander Lind- tree-man ; or more in brief, 

 Linnman. In Swedish it would be Lindman. 

 So these two learned brothers who became 

 the head of the Swedish family of the Tili- 

 anders, chose a botanical name; incidentally 

 presaging the botanical halo that was to 

 glorify a future scion of their stock under the 

 same name somewhat altered. Now if the 

 name Tiliander was prophetic incidentally 

 it had not been chosen accidentally. 



The Reverend Sven Tiliander, uncle and 

 foster-father of the father of Linnaeus, was a 

 devoted lover of trees and plants. It was that 

 passion for botany which determined his 

 taking the new and classic-sounding family 

 name from the great linden tree. At the time 

 of his taking his nephew Nils Ingemarsson into 

 his family to make of him if possible a scholar 

 and a Lutheran priest, he had extensive 

 orchards and gardens, to the care and improve- 

 ment of which he was enthusiastically devoted. 

 This enthusiasm for such things became 

 contagious in the case of his nephew Nils, 

 insomuch that the boy found delight in going 



