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Home » Free Art » Edward Lear’s clever Nonsense Botany

Edward Lear’s clever Nonsense Botany

|Free Art

Edward Lear (1812-1888) had his own take on the Linnean system of binomial nomenclature, using it to create nonsense plant names to label nonsense plant illustrations. All of which are enduring, humorous triumphs.

Today, we have well defined botanical rules when naming plant species, the foundations of which were laid by Swedish natural scientist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th Century. You are required to use a genus name (eg Rosa) combined with a species epithet name (eg canina), to create a species name – Rosa canina (a.k.a Dog Rose). You have to write them both in Latin, with the genus name written with an initial capital letter, the species epithet all lower case, and both italicised. Lear didn’t follow exactly these conventions, most likely because they were not enforced consistently until the 1950s. Before that it was quite common to capitalise the first initial of the species epithet, especially if that word was a noun. When the Latin is translated, species names use words that often describe a unique or distinctive morphological feature of the plant, distribution details or a name of a person. Lear follows this pattern, by using fake Latin to tell you all about the oddities he has drawn.

Lear was a natural history illustrator by trade, drawing birds, exotic animals as well as plants. When he started his nonsense series he used a pseudonym, thinking it would damage his credibility to be so silly, but as it turned out, it became his most celebrated work.

The following are taken from his book Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets published in 1872 in London. It is now in the Public Domain and these images arrive care of Project Gutenberg.

Edward Lear

Queeriflora Babyöides

Edward Lear Puffia Leatherbellowsa

Edward LearTureenia Ladlecum

cartoon illustrationsKnutmigrata Simplice

cartoon illustrationsSmalltoothcombia Domestica

cartoon illustrationsCrabbia Horrida

cartoon illustrationsBluebottlia Buzztilentia

cartoon illustrationsBubblia Blowpipia

cartoon illustrationsBassia Palealensis

cartoon illustrationsArmchairia Comfortabilis

cartoon illustrationsTigerlillia Terribilis

cartoon illustrationsWashtubbia Circularis

Edward Lear Nonsense botanyTickia Orologica

Nonsense botanyStunnia Dinnerbellia

Nonsense botanyShoebootia Utilis

cartoon illustrationsMinspysia Deliciosa

Edward Lear Nonsense botanySophtsluggia Glutinosa

cartoon illustrationsArthbroomia Rigida

fun take on plant namesNasticreechia Krorluppia

fun take on plant namesJinglia Tinkettlia

fun take on plant namesEnkoopia Chickabiddia

fun take on plant namesBarkia Howlaloudia

fun take on plant namesPollybirdia Singularis

fun take on plant namesPlumbunnia Nutritiosa

fun take on plant namesPiggiwiggia Pyramidalis

fun take on plant namesPhattfacia Stupenda

fun take on plant namesManypeeplia Upsidownia

fun take on plant namesGuittara Pensilis

fun take on plant namesFishia Marina

fun take on plant namesCockatooca Superba

fun take on plant namesBottlephorkia Spoonifolia

fun take on plant namesBaccopipia Gracilis

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R L F Matthias

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R L F Matthias

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2 Responses to Edward Lear’s clever Nonsense Botany

  • Jonathan Mitchley

    Ha ha! such a great creative mind, my favs Piggiwiggia pyramidalis and Tickia orologica Dr M

    Reply
  • Edward Lear's Eclogue and the symbolism of Orange and Lemon Trees - Plant Curator

    […] remembered now as a nonsense poet and the writer of ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat’, at first Edward Lear worked as a zoological […]

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