Trees of Paradise
All known palm species in 240 exquisite illustrations
On December 15, 1868, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868), Professor of Botany at the University of Munich and Director of the Botanical Garden, was buried in a coffin covered with fresh palm leaves – an unmistakable reference to his groundbreaking *Historia naturalis palmarum: opus tripartitum* (Natural History of Palms: A Work in Three Volumes ), published between 1823 and 1853. This encyclopedic treasure trove contained the sum total of human knowledge about palms at the time and included 240 exquisite color lithographs, among them botanical sections and overviews of palm habitats.
The basis for this comprehensive folio edition was Martius's joint expedition with the zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix to Brazil and Peru, financed by King Maximilian I of Bavaria. The expedition aimed to study not only natural history but also the indigenous tribes of the region. Between 1817 and 1820, the two explorers covered more than 2,250 kilometers within the Amazon basin, the world's most biodiverse palm-growing region, collecting and drawing specimens. Upon their return, both were knighted and received a lifelong pension.
Martius laid the foundations for the modern systematics of palms, created the first maps of their distribution, described all palm species of Brazil, and presented a critical comparison of all known genera of the palm family. Beyond his own evidence and notes, Martius also discussed the findings of others. Martius's work is unusual in that it presents cross-sections, thus making the internal structure of these mighty trees comprehensible—a structure that Central Europeans would otherwise have had little opportunity to visualize. The colorful landscapes with their diverse—often solitary—palms are particularly captivating in their simple and elegant beauty. This renowned work is an unsurpassed milestone in botanical illustration and taxonomy.
The basis for this comprehensive folio edition was Martius's joint expedition with the zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix to Brazil and Peru, financed by King Maximilian I of Bavaria. The expedition aimed to study not only natural history but also the indigenous tribes of the region. Between 1817 and 1820, the two explorers covered more than 2,250 kilometers within the Amazon basin, the world's most biodiverse palm-growing region, collecting and drawing specimens. Upon their return, both were knighted and received a lifelong pension.
Martius laid the foundations for the modern systematics of palms, created the first maps of their distribution, described all palm species of Brazil, and presented a critical comparison of all known genera of the palm family. Beyond his own evidence and notes, Martius also discussed the findings of others. Martius's work is unusual in that it presents cross-sections, thus making the internal structure of these mighty trees comprehensible—a structure that Central Europeans would otherwise have had little opportunity to visualize. The colorful landscapes with their diverse—often solitary—palms are particularly captivating in their simple and elegant beauty. This renowned work is an unsurpassed milestone in botanical illustration and taxonomy.
The author
H. Walter Lack is a professor at the Free University of Berlin and was director of the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem until August 2014. He is one of the leading experts in the history of botany and has researched primarily the cultural and historical consequences of the global transfer of useful and ornamental plants. His books *A Garden of Eden*, * The Book of Palms* , and *Redouté: The Book of Flowers * are published by TASCHEN.
Hardcover: 25 x 34.5 cm, 2.85 kg, 412 pages
Edition: Multilingual (German, English, French)
Trees of Paradise
All known palm species in 240 exquisite illustrations
On December 15, 1868, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868), Professor of Botany at the University of Munich and Director of the Botanical Garden, was buried in a coffin covered with fresh palm leaves – an unmistakable reference to his groundbreaking *Historia naturalis palmarum: opus tripartitum* (Natural History of Palms: A Work in Three Volumes ), published between 1823 and 1853. This encyclopedic treasure trove contained the sum total of human knowledge about palms at the time and included 240 exquisite color lithographs, among them botanical sections and overviews of palm habitats.
The basis for this comprehensive folio edition was Martius's joint expedition with the zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix to Brazil and Peru, financed by King Maximilian I of Bavaria. The expedition aimed to study not only natural history but also the indigenous tribes of the region. Between 1817 and 1820, the two explorers covered more than 2,250 kilometers within the Amazon basin, the world's most biodiverse palm-growing region, collecting and drawing specimens. Upon their return, both were knighted and received a lifelong pension.
Martius laid the foundations for the modern systematics of palms, created the first maps of their distribution, described all palm species of Brazil, and presented a critical comparison of all known genera of the palm family. Beyond his own evidence and notes, Martius also discussed the findings of others. Martius's work is unusual in that it presents cross-sections, thus making the internal structure of these mighty trees comprehensible—a structure that Central Europeans would otherwise have had little opportunity to visualize. The colorful landscapes with their diverse—often solitary—palms are particularly captivating in their simple and elegant beauty. This renowned work is an unsurpassed milestone in botanical illustration and taxonomy.
The basis for this comprehensive folio edition was Martius's joint expedition with the zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix to Brazil and Peru, financed by King Maximilian I of Bavaria. The expedition aimed to study not only natural history but also the indigenous tribes of the region. Between 1817 and 1820, the two explorers covered more than 2,250 kilometers within the Amazon basin, the world's most biodiverse palm-growing region, collecting and drawing specimens. Upon their return, both were knighted and received a lifelong pension.
Martius laid the foundations for the modern systematics of palms, created the first maps of their distribution, described all palm species of Brazil, and presented a critical comparison of all known genera of the palm family. Beyond his own evidence and notes, Martius also discussed the findings of others. Martius's work is unusual in that it presents cross-sections, thus making the internal structure of these mighty trees comprehensible—a structure that Central Europeans would otherwise have had little opportunity to visualize. The colorful landscapes with their diverse—often solitary—palms are particularly captivating in their simple and elegant beauty. This renowned work is an unsurpassed milestone in botanical illustration and taxonomy.
The author
H. Walter Lack is a professor at the Free University of Berlin and was director of the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem until August 2014. He is one of the leading experts in the history of botany and has researched primarily the cultural and historical consequences of the global transfer of useful and ornamental plants. His books *A Garden of Eden*, * The Book of Palms* , and *Redouté: The Book of Flowers * are published by TASCHEN.
Hardcover: 25 x 34.5 cm, 2.85 kg, 412 pages
Edition: Multilingual (German, English, French)
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