Pehr Kalm (6 March 1716 – 16 November 1779), also known as Peter Kalm, was a Swedish-Finnish

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, and

agricultural economist Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

. He was one of the most important

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

. In 1747, he was commissioned by the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...

to travel to the North American colonies in order to bring back seeds and plants that might be useful to agriculture. Among his many scientific accomplishments, Kalm can be credited with the first description of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

written by a trained scientist. In addition, he published the first scientific paper on the North American 17-year periodical cicada, ''

Magicicada septendecim ''Magicicada septendecim'', sometimes called the Pharaoh cicada or the 17-year locust, is native to Canada and the United States and is the largest and most northern species of periodical cicada with a 17-year lifecycle. Description Like oth ...

.'' Kalm wrote an account of his travels that was translated into numerous European languages; a 20th-century translation remains in print in English as ''Peter Kalm's Travels in North America: The English Version of 1770,'' translated by Swedish-American scholar

Adolph B. Benson Adolph B. Benson, born Adolph Berndt Bengtsson, (November 22, 1881 – November 10, 1962) was an American scholar, educator and literary historian. Adolph Benson's research focused primarily on the study of Swedish-American culture. Biography Ad ...

Biography

Kalm was born to Gabriel Kalm and Katarina Ross in

Ångermanland Ångermanland ( or ) is a historical province (''landskap'') in the northern part of Sweden. It is bordered (clockwise from the north) by Swedish Lapland, Västerbotten, the Gulf of Bothnia, Medelpad and Jämtland. The name is derived from the ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, where his parents had taken refuge from

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

during the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

. His father was a Finnish clergyman and his mother was of Scottish ancestry. His father died six weeks after his birth. When the hostilities were over, his widowed mother returned with him to

Närpes Närpes (Finland Swedish: ; ) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Närpes is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Närpes is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of ...

in Ostrobothnia, where Kalm's father had been a Lutheran minister. Kalm studied at the Royal Academy of Åbo from 1735. In 1740, he entered the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

, where he became one of the first students of the renowned naturalist

. In Uppsala, Kalm became the superintendent of an experimental plantation owned by his patron, Baron Sten Karl Bielke. Kalm did field research in Sweden,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

from 1742 to 1746, when he was appointed

docent The term "docent" is derived from the Latin word , which is the third-person plural present active indicative of ('to teach, to lecture'). Becoming a docent is often referred to as habilitation or doctor of science and is an academic qualifi ...

of natural history and economics at the Royal Academy of Åbo. In 1747, the academy elevated him to professor of economics. That same year, he was also appointed by Linnaeus and the

(of which he had been a member since 1745) to travel to North America to find seeds and plants that might prove useful for agriculture or industry. In particular, they wanted him to bring back the

red mulberry ''Morus rubra'', commonly known as the red mulberry, is a species of mulberry native to eastern and central North America. It is found from Ontario, Minnesota, and Vermont south to southern Florida, and west as far as southeastern South Dakota, ...

in the hope of starting a silk industry in Finland (which was then an integral part of Sweden). On his journey from Sweden to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, Kalm spent six months in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, where he met many of the important botanists of the day. Kalm arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748; there he was befriended by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

and naturalist

John Bartram John Bartram (June 3, 1699 – September 22, 1777) was an American botanist, horticulturist, and explorer, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for most of his career. Swedish botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus said he was the "greatest natu ...

. Kalm based his explorations at the Swedish-Finnish community of Raccoon, which is now

Swedesboro, New Jersey Swedesboro is a borough within Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,711, its highest decennial count ever and an inc ...

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. This town had been founded as part of the former Swedish colony of

New Sweden New Sweden () was a colony of the Swedish Empire between 1638 and 1655 along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a g ...

. There, he also served as the substitute pastor of Trinity Church, the local Swedish Lutheran church. Kalm subsequently married Anna Margaretha Sjöman, the widow of Johan Sandin, the former pastor. He remained in Raccoon until 19 May 1749. Kalm made trips as far west as

and as far north as

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

before returning to Finland in 1751. He took a post as professor at the Royal Academy of Åbo. In addition to teaching and directing students, he established botanical gardens in

Åbo Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while the metropolitan area ...

. He taught at the academy until his death in Åbo in 1771.

Anders Chydenius Anders Chydenius (; 26 February 1729 – 1 February 1803) was a Swedish-Finnish Lutheran priest and a member of the Swedish Riksdag, and is known as the leading classical liberal of Nordic history. He carried out his life's work in the Kingdom ...

, another noted scientist, was a student of Pehr Kalm's.

Legacy

*Kalm's journal of his travels was published as ''En Resa til Norra America'' (Stockholm, 1753–1761). It was translated into German, Dutch, and French. Kalm described not only the flora and fauna of the New World, but also the lives of the Native Americans and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

colonists whom he met. A United States edition was later translated and edited by Swedish-American scholar and literary historian

(1881–1961). It was published as ''Peter Kalm's Travels in North America: The English Version of 1770'' (Wilson-Erickson Inc., 1937). This version has become an important standard reference regarding life in colonial North America and has been in continuous print in several updated editions. *Kalm's paper on the lifecycle of the North American 17-year

periodical cicada The term periodical cicada is commonly used to refer to any of the seven species of the genus ''Magicicada'' of eastern North America, the 13- and 17-year cicadas. They are called periodical because nearly all individuals in a local population a ...

, ''

'', was the first published scientific description of the species and its recurrent appearances. *In his ''Species Plantarum,'' Linnaeus cites Kalm for 90 species, 60 of them new, including the genus ''

Kalmia ''Kalmia'' is a genus of about ten species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae (heath). They are native to North America (mainly in the eastern half of the continent) and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with differe ...

'', which Linnaeus named after Kalm. ''

Kalmia latifolia ''Kalmia latifolia'', the mountain laurel, calico-bush, or spoonwood, is a flowering plant and one of the 10 species in the genus of Kalmia belonging to the heath(er) family Ericaceae. It is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretch ...

'' (Mountain-laurel) is the state flower of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. *The

Mint of Finland The Mint of Finland (, ), legally registered as Suomen Rahapaja Oy (Myntverket i Finland Ab in Swedish), is the national mint of Finland. It was established by Alexander II of Russia in 1860 as the mark became the official currency of the Grand D ...

issued a coin in Kalm's honor. He is regarded as one of the most notable Finnish explorers. In Finland he is also known as Pietari Kalm.

References

External links

* *
Doria Repository
— ''Theses written or supervised by Pehr Kalm at the Royal Academy of Turku''
Mint of Finland Issues Pehr Kalm Coin
''Coin Update News'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalm, Pehr 1716 births 1779 deaths Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Uppsala University alumni Botanists with author abbreviations Botanists active in North America 18th-century Swedish botanists Age of Liberty people 18th-century Finnish botanists Finnish explorers Finnish naturalists Finnish people of Scottish descent Swedish explorers Swedish naturalists Swedish people of Scottish descent Swedish-speaking Finns Swedish people of Finnish descent

Biography

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links