Jan Frederik Gronovius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan Frederik Gronovius (also seen as Johann Frederik and Johannes Fredericus) (Feb 10, 1686, Leiden - Jul 10, 1762, Leiden) was a Dutch botanist notable as a patron of Linnaeus.
John Clayton, a plant collector in Virginia sent him many specimens in the 1730s, as well as a manuscript description. Without Clayton's knowledge, Gronovius used the material in his Flora Virginica (1739-1743, 2nd ed. 1762).
In 1737 Gronovius described the Transvaal daisy, naming it Gerbera.
He was the son of Jakob Gronovius and grandson of Johann Friedrich Gronovius, both classical scholars. In 1719, he married Margaretha Christina Trigland, who died in 1726, and Johanna Susanna Alensoon in 1729. His son Laurens Theodoor Gronovius (1730-1777) was also a botanist.
