[NATURAL HISTORY]. PLANCHON, Jules and Louis Van HOUTTE. 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 and others, 1850-1851.

Large 4to (336 x 243mm). Half-title, title, text (pp.[5]-52). 7 lithographic plates, 2 tinted, 5 hand-colored, 6 by L. Stroobant, one unsigned, 8 uncolored lithographic illustrations. (Occasional light marginal spotting or soiling, paperfault to lower margin of pp.) 19th-century green half cloth (light scuffing to extremities).

A VERY RARE LARGE-PAPER OFFPRINT WITH THE PLATES UNFOLDED, FROM THE Flore des Serres et des Jardin de l'Europe, 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: probably the first time the plant flowered on the mainland of Europe. Pritzel 7167; Stafleu & Cowan 8009.

[With:] SCHOMBURGK, Robert Hermann (1804-1865). A bound 3pp. 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]. 8vo (225 x 140mm). 3pp. letterpress text. Folding hand-coloured engraved plate by Lizars, extra-illustrated 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). This interesting 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.

Property from the Estate of Peter Fortsas

[NATURAL HISTORY]. PLANCHON, Jules and Louis Van HOUTTE. 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 and others, 1850-1851.