Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

Biographical data

 

Ekeberg, Carl Gustaf

 

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Addenda & Corrigenda)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

 

Born: 1716, Djursholm, N of Stockholm, Sweden.

Died: 1784, Altomto-gård, in Upland, N of Stockholm.

 

career:

Started studying pharmacy, later medicine, and accompanied two voyages to Spain as a ship’s surgeon. His nautical interest made him enlist in the Swedish East India Company as a mate in 1741; from 1759 onwards captain. He made 10 voyages to East India and China and brought home important natural his­tory collections; after his retirement he settled at Altomto. With his many-sided education he did work in many fields, making maps, magnetical and meteorological observations, studying botany and zoology, making large collections, diaries, notes, and drawings.1

His first relation and correspondence with Linné and the Royal Swedish Academy dates from 1750; since 1761 a member of the said Academy. A correspondent of Bergius too.2

His publications include a paper on Banka Straits, mainly nautical, but giving also a description of coasts, forests, and beaches.3

At Altomta his house (Ekebergsrummet) is still kept.

He is commemorated in the genus Ekebergia Sparrm.

 

Collecting localities:4

Voyages to the East. In the ‘Drottningen av Sverige’, sailing from Göteborg Jan. 10, 1742; running aground and consequently staying for 6 months in Annam; back in Sweden on July 1, 1744.-In the ‘Götha Leyon’ (Capt. Askbom), sailing Dec. 27, 1746 for Canton, staying there the whole year 1748, back in Sweden June 20, 1749; during the voyage Java was visited.-In the ? ‘Hoppet’ to Canton, Dec. 1751-June 1754.-To Canton, in the ? ‘Sophia Albertina’, Jan. 1755-Aug. 1756.-In the ‘Friederic Adolph’, Feb. 1759-Aug. 1760, touching Java at least on the home voyage.-In the ‘Finland’, Feb. 1762-Aug. 1763; running aground in Banka Straits, but getting off again.-In the ‘Stockholms Slott’ (see also A. Sparrman, itinerary for Java etc.), sailing Dec. 28, 1765, back in Sweden Aug. 1767.-In the ‘Finland’, Dec. 1769-June 7, 17715, reaching Anjer (W. Java) Aug. 8, 1770.-In the ‘Sophia Magdalena’ (see also P.J. Bladh), Jan. 1774-June 1775, visiting Batavia and Angkè on the N. coast of W. Java.-His last voyage in the ‘Sofia Magdalena’, Jan. 1777-June 1778.

Probably most or all of the China voyages were made via Java.

 

collections:

Among the plants collected by Hornstedt (Herb. Acad. Sci. Stockholm), studied by Dr van Steenis in March 1949, were some sheets on which was written by Bergius: ‘Ekeberg e Java’; also some from Cochin-China and Canton. The plants must have been collected during the voyage of Capt. C.G. Ekeberg to China, in 1765-67 (for Itiner., Liter., etc., cf. sub A. Sparrman). 

The Bergius Herb. (R. Ac. Sc. Stockholm [SBT]) includes plants collected by him in Sumatra, Cochinchina, Ind. Or., and Java. He also presented collections to Linnaues (Herb. Linn. Soc. Lond. [LINN]), possibly the older ones.

 

literature:

(1) Diary etc. in R. Swed. Ac. Sc., Stockholm.

(2) MS letters to Bergius in R. Swed. Ac. Sc., Stockholm, written 1766-74.

(3) C.G. Ekeberg: ‘Anmärkningar och Beskrifning öfver Banca-Sundet uti Ost-Indien’ (K. Vetensk. Handl. 37, 1776, p. 122-130).

(4) Cf. C. Forsstrand: ‘Carl Gustaf Ekeberg, hans färder till Ostindien och Kina, naturvetenskaplige intressen och förbindelser med Linné’ (Svensk. Linné-Sällskapets Årsskrift 11, 1928, p. 147-161, incl. bibliogr.); and in E. Olán: ‘Ostindiska compagniets saga’ (1920).

(5) C.G. Ekeberg: ‘Capitaine Carl Gustaf Ekebergs Ostindiska Resa, åren 1770 och 1771’ (1773) (n.v.); J. Wallenberg: ‘Min son på galejan’ (1781; several editions, 1855, 1881, etc.).

 

biographical data:

Bretschneider, Hist. Bot. Disc. China 1898, p. 60-61; Svensk. Linné-Sällskap. Arsskr. 11, 1928, p. 147 seq.; ibid. 29, 1946, p. 83-84, fig. 2-3 (portr.); Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936.