Thursday, July 30, 2009

Historia Naturalis Palmarum

The Natural History of Palm Trees



Attalea - Cocos - Sabal species


Borassus flabelliformis


Acrocomia sclerocarpa


Areca nibung


Astrocaryum species


Palm species


Palm species sections


Palm species sections a


Bactris longipos + Cocos botryophora


Ceratolobus glaucescens


Copernica ceifera


Daemonorops melanochaetes


Thrinax brasiliensis


Zalacca wallichiana


Desmoncus polyacanthos


Elaeis melanococca


Livistona humilis


Livistona humilis (fruit + seeds)



Sagus taedigera


Eugeisona tristis


Eugeisona tristis (detail)


palm symmetry


Plectocomia khasiyana


"The author of over 150 botanical titles, including the great flora of Brazil, Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius also wrote the still-definitive three-volume treatise on the palm family, one of the first plant monographs. He developed his life-long fascination with palms during an expedition through Brazil [map] from 1817 to 1820, and he worked nearly 30 years to prepare this grand summation, including palms found only as fossils." [source]

All three volumes of 'Historia Naturalis Palmarum' are available at the Botanicus website from the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This lavishly illustrated series included systematic descriptions of all known species in the palm family (Arecaceae). The illustrations were produced by Martius himself and Ferdinand Bauer (among others).

You can get an idea of how enormous the available jp2 image files of each chromolithograph are by clicking on those couple of illustration details towards the end of the sampling above. [each image file is about 3Mb and converts to ~20Mb jpeg files] Mouse over the images - taken from all three volumes - for the botanical names (in most cases).

5 comments :

Unknown said...

oh, a most gorgeous botanical set. sigh. made my day.

zach said...

Those first black and white drawings are what do it for me... really really nice...

Beani said...

these are amazing - what a great blog!
Help please.. I am trying to download the largest image - I click download original size, but how does one actually save it? it downloads a blurry image (not as sharp as the ones you put here)
Thanks lot

peacay said...

Beani, I don't know what's happening. Perhaps try right clicking and saving rather than using the link to download?? I checked a few of the original sized images and they are all crystal clear and unblurred. Otherwise, drop me a line and I'll email the large version of any of these (peacay --> gmail dot com).

reen said...

that is some nice work.

Post a Comment

Comments are all moderated so don't waste your time spamming: they will never show up.

If you include ANY links that aren't pertinent to the blog post or discussion they will be deleted and a rash will break out in your underwear.

Also: please play the ball and not the person.

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

 
Creative Commons License