C.A. Buhle./Johann Friedrich Naumann - Die wichtigsten der deutschen Giftpflanzen nebst den nöthigsten Bemerkungen dazu, zur Verhütung und - 1804

Ancient volume of botany dedicated to the main poisonous plants of Germany, published in Halle in 1804 and illustrated by Johann Friedrich Naumann.

The work was conceived with a practical and educational aim: to facilitate recognition of dangerous plants and contribute to the prevention of accidental poisonings.

The illustrated series comprises all 16 numbered plates, depicting plants, flowers, leaves, roots, bulbs, fruits and seeds, accompanied by botanical details and sections. The last plate also includes a composition dedicated to mushrooms.

The captions provide the German names, the Latin botanical denominations, and references to Linnaean classification. The engravings feature a hand coloring that highlights the characteristics of the different species.

An interesting testimony of early 19th-century botanical illustration, aimed at collectors of ancient books, botany, mycology and natural history.

Binding: softcover in light blue paper, with folds, stains, small tears and edge wear, as in the photographs.

CONTENT OF THE 16 PLATES

I — Imperial Crown
Fritillaria imperialis. Depiction of the plant with the characteristic pendulous flowers, accompanied by a bulb with roots and an opened capsule with the seeds.

II — Autumn Colchic
Colchicum autumnale. Flower with subterranean organ and roots, leaves, fruiting capsule and seeds.

III — Purple Digitalis
Digitalis purpurea. Flowering stem with campanulate corolla, leaves and details of the flower, fruit and seeds.

IV — Cyclamen and Pulsatilla
Cyclamen europaeum, Anemone pulsatilla and Anemone pratensis, according to the plate’s designations. Composition with flowering plants, subterranean organs and botanical details.

V — Buttercups
Ranunculus flammula, Ranunculus acris and Ranunculus sceleratus. Comparison among three species, with stems, leaves, flowers and features useful for recognition.

VI — Caper Spurge and Stick Flower
Euphorbia lathyris and Daphne mezereum. Branches with leaves, flowers and fruits, accompanied by sections and seeds.

VII — Spotted Arum
Arum maculatum. Leaf, inflorescence with spathe and spadix, subterranean organ with roots and inflorescence bearing red berries.

VIII — Datura
Datura stramonium. Branch with leaves, trumpet-shaped flower and a characteristic spiny capsule; details of the flower, the cut fruit and the seeds.

IX — Black Henbane
Hyoscyamus niger. Flowering branch with veined leaves and corollas, accompanied by details of the flower, the capsules and the seeds.

X — Drunken Rye and Yew
Lolium temulentum and Taxus baccata. A grass with a spike and details of the grains, paired with a branch of yew with a red aril and reproductive details.

XI — Belladonna and Black Nightshade
Atropa belladonna and Solanum nigrum. Branches with flowers and berries, accompanied by sections of the flowers, fruits and seeds.

XII — Lesser and Greater Water Hemlock
Aethusa cynapium and Conium maculatum. Comparison between the two plants with umbrella-like inflorescences, leaves, stem portions and details of the flowers and fruits.

XIII — Water Hemlock
Cicuta virosa. Plant with leaves and flowering umbels; particular emphasis on the section of the subterranean organ, showing its characteristic internal cavities.

XIV — Black Hellebore and Poisonous Lettuce
Helleborus niger and Lactuca virosa. Hellebore with flower, leaves and roots, paired with poisonous lettuce with leaves and inflorescences.

XV — Aconite Napellus
Aconitum napellus. Flowering branch with characteristic helmet-shaped flowers and deeply divided leaves, with details of the floral organs, the fruits and the seeds.

XVI — Fox’s Grape and Mushrooms
Paris quadrifolia in the upper part, with leaves, flower, berry and botanical details. In the lower part, several mushrooms indicated with letters and historic German names, including the unmistakable Amanita muscaria with a red cap speckled with white.

CONDITION

Specimen shows signs of time: yellowing and browning of the paper, rust marks and scattered stains, central creases visible on the plates and edge irregularities. On the blue papers photographed there are halos, stains and small tears.

The illustrations retain a clearly visible coloring. The plate series is complete from I to XVI, as documented in the photographs.