Did you know that the very first Dutch tulips were grown in Leiden? They were cultivated by Professor of Botany Carolus Clusius (1526 - 1609) in the Hortus Botanicus. The flowers originally came from Turkey (with a detour via Vienna) and from these first specimens, Clusius created many new varieties, some of which even had flames or stripes.
Tulips were not the only plants Clusius introduced into the Netherlands. For his research he also imported buttercups, anemones, irises, daffodils, horse chestnuts, string beans, black salsify, jasmine, tomatoes, tobacco and corn. Many plants that we now consider to be very common therefore made their Dutch debut thanks to Clusius. In addition, he also helped spread the potato throughout Europe.
With his research Clusius laid the foundation for Dutch bulb farming and tulip breeding, two areas in which the Netherlands still lead to this day. Next time you pass a colourful field full of beautiful flowers, be it by train, car or bicycle, you may want to take a moment to reflect on the exceptional career of this Leiden discoverer.
His painstaking botanical work in Leiden came at the tail end of Clusius’ eventful career. Carolus Clusius’ real name was Charles de l'Écluse and he was born in 1526 in the now French town of Arras (at the time the Flemish town of Atrecht). Throughout his life he studied many subjects and spoke eight languages, although it was in botany that he truly distinguished himself.
Clusius began his career in Paris, took part in botanical expeditions in Spain, Portugal, Flanders and England and was appointed prefect of the Imperial Medical Garden in Vienna in 1573. There he studied the plants that grew in the Alps. He was supported in his work by the then Archduke of Austria, Emperor Maximilian II.
Clusius later worked as a translator in Frankfurt am Main, but in 1593 the University Board invited him to Leiden, where he was appointed Professor of Botany and Director of the Leiden Hortus Botanicus.
His Leiden work made Clusius world-famous. One of Clusius’ sources of new plant species was the Dutch East India Company (the VOC). He arranged for VOC ships to bring back plants and seeds from their far journeys to the Dutch East Indies and South Africa.
When Clusius first began his work as Director of the Hortus Botanicus, the University’s botanical garden already owned more than a thousand species of plants. During his time as Director, Clusius studied not only these plants, but also mushrooms and fungi.
His pioneering work brought Clusius fame not only in his lifetime, but for eternity: his name has been immortalised in the official names of various species of plants. For example, the pink-red blossoming plant Primula clusiana bears his name.
Clusius laid the foundation for the Leiden Hortus Botanicus to become a prestigious research garden. The Leiden Hortus was later extended further by other famous Leiden researchers such as Herman Boerhaave (late 17th, early 18th century) and Philipp Franz von Siebold (early 19th century). The renowned Swedish biologist Linnaeus also visited the Leiden Hortus on a regular basis between 1735 and 1737.
Carolus Clusius died in 1609. His tombstone can still be found in Leiden, in the Pieterskerk. These are however not the only physical remains left behind by the famous researcher. In the Hortus, a plant from Clusius’ time is still alive and well. What’s more, it was Clusius himself who planted it in 1601: a magnificent golden rain.
