[MANUSCRIPTS—BOTANY]. [DUMONT, George Louis Marie de Courset (1746-1824). “Description de 131 Geranions à l’usage de Ch. Dutrieu.” [Paris], 1815.

40 leaves, 8vo (207 x 129mm). In French. Written in cursive in dark brown ink. Bound in contemporary quarter calf, mottled boards (front joint splitting).

The text covers descriptions of 130 geranium species from different regions of the world. The first 17 comprise the standard varieties, while the remainder covers 113 irregular varieties (number 18 was apparently overlooked hence the discrepancy given in the title). They are listed with both their Latin and French names, the natural location of each species, along with their respective flowering season, citing L'Heritier, Cavahilles, Lamarck, Desfontaines, Miller, Linne, Willdenow, etc. Contains an unfinished index at the end of the volume.

George Louis Marie Dumont de Courset was a French botanist and agronomist. Born near Boulogne, he studied in Paris and showed an aptitude for music and drawing. He joined the military when he was 17 and became a second lieutenant. Sent to the south of France, he visited the Pyrenees and caught a passion for botany. He gave up his military career to return home to France to build an extensive garden that became famous for the diversity of plant species.

Selections from Antiquariat Botanicum, Dr. Eugene Vigil