Images

Cinchona of St Lucia

Start Zooming Stop Zooming

Current search

Actions

Current search
Add To Album

Date

1783

Artist

G. Wilson (active 1783)

Collection

The Royal Society

Description

Plate 19 figure A from the paper “An account of a new species of the Bark-tree, found in the Island of St Lucia”, by George Davidson, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol.74 part 2 (1784), pp.452-456. Botanical studies of parts of a tree from the West Indies used as an anti-malarial treatment. The main figure is a dried sprig from the tree with leaves and flowers, appearing with several figures not used in the published version of the plate. These include an illustration of the dried bark of the tree [genuine cinchola from Peru was known as ‘Jesuit’s Bark’]. A key to the illustration, headed “Plate 1st” appears in ink verso: “A. “Corolla monopeta... B. Pistillum capitatum. C. Antherae linarus. D. Calyx quinquifidus. E. Cyma. F. Cortex. G. Flores nondum aperti.” Not signed.