The botanist's repository for new and rare plants; vol. 01 & 02 [of 10] — Background and Themes

(0 User reviews) 848

In Category - Plants Flowers

Authors: Andrews, Henry Cranke, active 1799-1828 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2023 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Plants -- Pictorial works; Plants, Cultivated -- Pictorial works; Rare plants -- Pictorial works Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 61,333

Reading time 267 min

Text sections 14

For The botanist's repository for new and rare plants; vol. 01 & 02 [of 10] — Background and Themes, the stored edition analysis reports 61,333 words, 4 hr 27 min estimated reading time, and 14 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 13.9 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Plants -- Pictorial works,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #69992

This editorial note examines Henry Cranke Andrews's authorial choices in diction, dialogue, and description within the first two volumes of 'The botanist's repository', focusing on the preface's stated principles and the botanical descriptions' precise language.

Editorial Edition Score 4.8/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg69992

Read the Text

The utility of this undertaking at a crisis, when the taste for Botanical pursuits so universally prevails, will, it is presumed, be readily admitted by all those engaged in them, whether as theorists, collectors, or cultivators. Such a work, under the immediate direction of some principal leader in the science, of this country, has been a desideratum of long expectance; but either from the great expence necessarily incurred, before any adequate return could be made, or from the trouble attendant on publications, where colouring forms so considerable a part, as yet, every similar attempt has proved abortive. The Bot. Mag. of Mr. Curtis, a work of singular merit in its way, has occasionally furnished, it is true, a few specimens of new plants; but the greatest part, as its title-page indicates, consists of those well known, common plants, long cultivated in our gardens; the direct reverse of the proposals and intentions of the author, in the prosecution of this. From a wish to prevent confusion, it was a determined principle at the outset of the work, not to give any generic or specific synonims; but to follow the most generally accepted names, of known and named plants, without a cavil, of our best English botanists, or cultivators, if no flagrant error was perceptible, according to the Linnæan system: being satisfied, nothing contributed so much to repress the ardour of young botanists as the difficulty of affixing the right name to those plants, which, (from a captious desire in every publisher, to foist in something of his own coinage, upon the most trifling supposed difference,) have undergone several changes of title. If the plant was a certain novelty, with us, to have followed the sexual system, without a schism; upon that truly grand and comprehensive scale of nature; when the formation of a new genus was necessary; if not, to refer it to some one already made, if such was to be found, in any orthodox author: the specific name to be formed from some opposed, leading feature, in the habits of the different species of the genus. But although such were the Author’s intentions, when he entered on this business, yet, from a wish to oblige many of the supporters of the work, who have signified a wish that synonims should be given, an alphabetical Index, with all the various Synonims collated from the best authorities, shall be printed separate for the use of those who may wish for such an addition.

As a fair excuse for the Author, (who throws himself upon the candour of the Public,) in extenuation of the inaccuracies which have, and will necessarily occur in the prosecution of the work, it is just to say, that the difficulties to be encountered, and of which none but those engaged in similar concerns can form any adequate idea, are incalculable; arising chiefly from the nature of a monthly publication, composed entirely of novelty, which cannot be anticipated, and of course, so very little time can be allotted for revisal or correction. To remedy as far as possible such slips, a list of Erratæ will be given, with the Index, at the close of each volume.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE, Oct. 1799.

Plate 2. Springalia, lege, _Sprengelia_. Bloss. one leaf, read, _one petal_. Peri. 4-valvis, 4-locul. l. 5-val. 5-loc. S. V. 4 val. 4 cells, r. 5 val. 5 cells.

3. Cor. æquila, l. _æqualia_. Emp. Sheath, r. _Sheaths_.

7. Calyx, multiflorium, l. _multiflorum_.

9. Calyx, diciduis, l. _deciduis_. Stam. acumenatæ, l. _acuminatæ_.

11. Sp. Ch. post roseis, ins. (,).

12. Ord. II. r. IV. Seeds, become, r. _becomes_.

14. Emp. cup, r. _sheath_. Poin. put (,) after beneath.

15. Standard, cut, r. _cup_.

20. Sem. acumenatæ, l. _acuminatæ_.

23. Bloss. after spreading, put (,). No. 2 of Ref. put (_the_) before chives.

25. Sp. Ch. post plenis, ins. (,).

30. Line 6th of Descr. leave out (_not_).

41. Bloss. one leaf, r. _one petal_; divided into six, r. _with six divisions_.

47. Stam. post subulata, ins. (,).

65. Emp. fruit-stalks, r. _fruit-stalk_.

67. Descr. line 2d, for makes an addition to, r. _makes one of_.

BOTANIST’S REPOSITORY,

_NEW, AND RARE PLANTS_.

OF SUCH PLANTS, AS HAVE NOT HITHERTO APPEARED IN ANY SIMILAR PUBLICATION;

WITH ALL THEIR ESSENTIAL CHARACTERS, BOTANICALLY ARRANGED, AFTER THE SEXUAL SYSTEM OF THE CELEBRATED LINNÆUS;

_IN ENGLISH, AND LATIN_.

TO EACH DESCRIPTION IS ADDED,

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PLANT,

AS TO ITS TIME OF FLOWERING, CULTURE, NATIVE PLACE OF GROWTH, WHEN INTRODUCED, AND BY WHOM.

THE WHOLE EXECUTED BY

AUTHOR OF THE COLOURED ENGRAVINGS OF HEATHS, IN FOLIO.

_PRINTED BY T. BENSLEY_, AND PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, Nº 5, KNIGHTSBRIDGE.

To be had of J. WHITE, Fleet-street, and all the Booksellers.

_PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Five Chives. One Pointal.

CALYX. Perianthium quinquefidum, persistens; laciniis obtusis, concavis.

COROLLA. Monopetala, rotata, quinquepartita, laciniis sub-rotundis, ad quarum basin prominent tubercula quinque.

STAMINA. Filamenta quinque brevia. Antheræ bipartitæ, oblongæ, erectæ, exteriori parte affixæ.

Continue Reading →

Henry Cranke Andrews opens his preface by positioning the work as a response to a perceived gap: existing botanical publications, he argues, had not adequately served the needs of theorists, collectors, or cultivators. He explicitly distinguishes his project from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, which he notes primarily featured common plants, whereas his repository would focus on new and rare species. This deliberate framing reveals Andrews's ambition to create a specialized reference work, not a general garden guide.

Andrews's authorial voice emerges clearly in his stated principles. He declares a policy of avoiding synonymy to prevent confusion among young botanists, criticizing a 'captious desire in every publisher, to foist in something of his own coinage'. This combative tone suggests a desire for clarity and authority, while his promise of a separate index for synonyms indicates a pragmatic willingness to accommodate subscribers' wishes.

Diction and the Language of Description

Andrews's botanical descriptions employ a consistent, formulaic structure. Each entry begins with the Linnaean class and order, followed by generic and specific characters in both Latin and English. The English translations often mirror the Latin syntax, as in 'Blossom four-cleft or of four petals' for Corolla 4-fida, seu 4-petala. This bilingual presentation reflects the period's scientific conventions and Andrews's commitment to the Linnaean system.

The descriptive prose is economical and factual, focusing on observable features: leaf shape, flower color, growth habit. For the Pine-leaved Protea, Andrews notes that 'every part of the plant ... is quite smooth and shining', a detail he remarks as uncommon in the genus. Such observations ground the descriptions in visual evidence, avoiding speculation. The language is precise but not florid; Andrews prioritizes accuracy over ornamentation.

Voice and the Cultivator's Perspective

Andrews frequently addresses the practical concerns of cultivators. In describing the Sweet Ixora, he warns that it is 'impatient of cold or wet, and perishes if exposed to either'. This direct, cautionary tone recurs throughout the volumes, as when he notes that the Pine-leaved Protea is 'subject to be killed, if not kept in the driest, and warmest part of the greenhouse'. Such statements reveal an author attuned to the challenges of greenhouse cultivation in late eighteenth-century England.

The descriptions also include specific cultivation advice: soil preferences ('light loam' for Proteas, 'peat earth' for Persoonia), propagation methods (cuttings or seeds), and flowering seasons. Andrews's voice is that of an experienced practitioner, not merely a compiler. He credits plant introducers by name—William Forsyth, J. Robertson—and notes the locations where specimens were observed, such as the Hammersmith nursery. These details anchor the work in a network of contemporary botanical exchange.

Structure and the Role of the Plate

Each entry is organized around the engraved plate, with the text serving as a supplement. The 'Reference to the Plate' section enumerates dissected parts—blossom, petal, chive, pointal, seed—often with magnification indicated. This structure mirrors the visual information, guiding the reader from whole to part. Andrews's descriptions thus function as a verbal key to the illustrations, reinforcing the primacy of the image.

The plates themselves are numbered sequentially, and the text cross-references earlier plates (e.g., 'See Protea Speciosa. Plate XVII'). This internal referencing creates a cohesive work across volumes, inviting comparison between species. The errata and indexes at the start of each volume further indicate a careful editorial process, though the presence of errata also acknowledges the practical difficulties of such a publication.

Recurring Details: Origins and Introductions

Andrews consistently records the geographic origin and introduction history of each plant. The Pine-leaved Protea is 'from the Cape of Good Hope', introduced in 1780 by William Forsyth. The Linear-leaved Persoonia is 'indigenous to the same clime as the Lance-shaped leaved', and was raised from seed in 1794 by J. Robertson, flowering for the first time in England the following year. These details place each species within a network of colonial botany and transatlantic plant trade.

The descriptions also note the first European illustrator or describer, as when Andrews cites Jacquin and l'Heritier for the Sweet Ixora. This scholarly apparatus, though minimal, situates the work within a broader scientific literature. Andrews's attention to introduction dates and first flowering in England reflects a contemporary fascination with botanical novelty and the acclimatization of exotic species.

Andrews's authorial choices—his precise diction, his cultivator's voice, his structured descriptions, and his attention to origins—collectively define the work as a practical and authoritative guide for the late eighteenth-century botanist. Readers attentive to these choices will find not just plant descriptions but a document of the period's botanical practices and priorities. The volumes reward close reading of both the text and the implied relationship between word and image.

I remember leafing through my grandfather’s worn field guide, the paper soft as cloth. That same patient thrill returns here, in Andrews’s precise Latin names, each one a small ceremony for a bloom. The desert’s spare palette in 100 Desert Wildflowers in Natural Color — Key Ideas to Explore felt like reading a quiet language of survival, just as his engravings hum with a tender, almost anxious care.