Description

Names are fascinating, for they provide
insight into minds and cultures
long dead. The bisexual hero/
heroine of this essay enjoys several
names. From science, we have Senecio
jacobaea L. The generic Senecio is from
a resemblance to an old man, cf. "the senile
one" or "the senator." The "L." tells
us that this species was named by Linnaeus,
the great classifier himself. He
commemorated another Scandinavian
botanist in the specific jacobaea.