The Flora capensis of Jakob and Johann Philipp Breyne (Brenthurst series) by Breyne, Jakob

Publisher:Brenthurst Press, 1978 limited to 850 copies

Edition:Hardcover

Language:English

Brenthurst Series 4- General Editor Eric Axelson.

The earliest published book to bear the title 'Flora Capensis' was a nineteen-page publication by Linnaeus which appeared in 1759. Although published under Linnaeus's name and in fact also written by hime , the work was the thesis of Carl Wannman, one of Linnaeus's students. The title was again used for a book by C.P.Thunberg whose work appeared in two volumes from 1807 to 1820. 'Flora Capensis' is the Latin for 'Flowers of the Cape', referring to the Cape of Good Hope.

The 'Flora Capensis' compiled by Jakob and Johann Philipp Breyne and bound in 1724 and here published for the first time, is a collection of water-colour paintings of some flowers of the Cape of Good Hope, rather than a botanical treatise. No earlier manuscript with the same title is known to us.