Victoria Regia, au Point de Vue Horticole et Botanique avec des Observations sur la Structure et les Affinites des Nympheacees.

Ghent: C. Arnoot-Braeckman for L. van Houtte, 1850. VAN HOUTTE, Louis. La Victoria Regia, au Point de Vue Horticole et Botanique. avec des Observations sur la Structure et les Affinites des Nympheacees. Ghent: C. Arnoot-Braeckman for L. van Houtte, 1850.

Full Description:

PLANCHON, Jules. VAN HOUTTE, Louis. La Victoria Regia, au Point de Vue Horticole et Botanique. avec des Observations sur la Structure et les Affinites des Nympheacees. Ghent: C. Arnoot-Braeckman for L. van Houtte, 1850.

A rare large-paper offprint from horticulture journal "Flore des Serres et des Jardin de l'Europe." Large quarto (13 1/4 x 9 5/8 inches; (truncated) 335 x 245 mm). 52 pp. With seven engraved plates and seven full-page engravings in the text. Of the plates, one is sepia of the gardens of van Houtte, and six are brilliantly hand-colored. Five of these are close-ups of the Victoria Regia flower and one is of the inside of the greenhouse where the flower is growing. These plates are particularly nive becuase they remain unfolded. The plates that are found in the "Flore des Serres et des Jardin de l'Europe" come folded because of the size. Each plate with tissue guard.

Contemporary half green cloth over marbled paper boards. Marbled endpapers. Some minor foxing and toning. Chipping to head and tail of the spine. Boards a bit bumped and rubbed with a crease at the bottom of front boards. Paper flaw to lower margin of page 19, not affecting text. Overall very good, with beautiful, bright plates.

"The giant waterlily (Victoria amazonica) is the largest of the waterlilies and the national flower of Guyana. On its classification by John Lindley in 1837, the plant was originally named Victoria regia in honour of Queen Victoria, who had recently ascended to the throne. The name was amended to its present form following the Queen's death in 1901." (Royal Trust Collection). The present offprint "is a recording the flowering of the Victoria regia in Belgium in a specially constructed heated glass-house in the extensive gardens of van Houtte. The plant was grown from seed at Chatsworth in February 1850, and arrived in Ghent on 26 May 1850, growing vigorously through until the late autumn, with the first flower blooming on 5th September 1850." (Fereman).

Pritzel 7167; Stafleu & Cowan 8009.

[Together with]:

SCHOMBURGK, Robert Hermann. Extract from the Magazine of Zoology and Botany, with drophead title: "Dr. Robert H. Schomburgh's [sic.] description of Victoria Regina [sic.]". [N.p.: November 1837].

Small octavo (8 7/8 x 5 3/4 inches; 225 x 140mm). 3 pp text. With a beautiful, folding hand-coloured engraved plate by Lizars. With Schomburgk's clipped signature mounted above the start of the text, and a related paragraph announcing the naming of Victoria regalis [sic.] extracted from an earlier issue of the same periodical.

Contemporary cloth, neatly rebacked to style. Boards stamped in blind with an ornate central device. Spine lettered in gilt. Yellow coated endpapers. Folding plate with a small repair at bottom margin, not touching image. Very good.

This extract is a transcription of Schomburgk's letter to the Botanical Society of London, describing his discovery of the water lily on the River Berbice in British Guiana.

HBS 69415.

$3,500. (Inventory #: 69415)