Flore médicale [...]. Peinte par Mme E. P[anckoucke] et par P.J.F. Turpin.

7 parts in 8 vol., 8vo: xvi-209, [4]-236, 265 [= 263], 266, [4]-280, 271, [6]-199, 158 (of 174)-3-[1]-4, [12]-viii-278-[5] pp.; 2 fold. tables, 431 (of 435) pl. ("Dictionary": pp. 199-236 of vol. 2 bound in vol. 3, brown stains at the end of vol. 1, a duplicate pl. 48 used to replace missing pl. 38, spotting passim, locally stronger, sometimes focused. "Iconogr.": 2nd part bound before the 3rd, 4 "bis" or "ter" pl. missing).

Contemp. three-quarter red shagreen, red shagreen-like fabric on boards, gilt-tooled spine with raised bands, a.e.g.

First edition of this famous botanical work divided in 6 vol. of "Dictionary", the 7th consisting of "Partie élementaire" (2 parts written by Poiret) and "Iconographie végétale" illustrated by Turpin. Ill. with 431 (of 435) coloured engr. and 2 fold. tables. Chaumeton (1775-1819) was a French surgeon and pharmacist who became interested in medicinal plants. Plants and flowers are presented in alphabetical order according to their name in French, followed by their name in Latin and Greek and in various European or foreign languages. A botanical description of the plant follows, as well as its use in pharmacology, the way it is used in Europe and in its country of origin (together with the history of its introduction in France). We therefore find regional and tropical plants (pineapple, banana, betel, pistachio...), spices (cinnamon, turmeric, galanga, pepper, zedoary...), products of exotic origin (cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar cane, tea...), drugs (poppy, hemp...), incense (foxes...), etc. The success of the book was also due to the skills of Ernestine Panckoucke (one of Redouté's pupils and the editor's wife) and of Turpin, one of the greatest botanical draughtsmen of his time. 4to and folio ed. were published at the same time. Announcement of the 2nd ed. of the "Description de l'Égypte", 4 pp. at the end of vol. 7.
Ref. Nissen (BBI) 349 (records 10 (of 11) and 7 (of 8) pl. "bis" or "ter"). - Pritzel 1679.
Prov. Victor Rutten (gilt-tooled super ex-libris on the bottom of the binding). - [Georges Petit].