Revenge in a name - Sigesbeckia orientalis

Sigesbeckia orientalis

Carl Linnaeus is often called the Father of Taxonomy. While the crtieria he used for taxonomy have largely been replaced, the hierarchical classification and custom of binomial nomenclature that he established remains. 


While many criteria went into determining the binomial name of a plant, at least in one case, revenge was the main criteria. When Linnaeus announces his discovery that plants produce contain male and female organs and reproduce sexually, some of his contempories responded with shock and contempt. One of them Johann Siegesbeck called his idea "loathsome harlotry" and wondered "who would have thought that bluebells, lillies and onions could be up to such immorality?"  Linnaeus got even by naming St. Paul's wort, an ugly, foul-smelling weed that grows in the mud, Sigesbeckia orientalis.