''Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe'' (French for ''Flowers of the Greenhouses and Gardens of Europe'') (18451888) was one of the finest

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

journals produced in Europe during the 19th century, spanning 23 volumes and over 2000 coloured plates with French, German and English text. Founded by

Louis van Houtte Louis Benoît van Houtte (29 June 1810, in Ypres – 9 May 1876, in Ghent) was a Belgian horticulturist who was with the Jardin Botanique de Brussels between 1836 and 1838 and is best known for the journal '' Flore des Serres et des Jardins d ...

and edited together with

Charles Antoine Lemaire Charles Antoine Lemaire (1 November 1800, in Paris – 22 June 1871, in Paris), was a French botanist and botanical author, noted for his publications on Cactaceae. Education Born the son of Antoine Charles Lemaire and Marie Jeanne Davio, he ha ...

and

Michael Joseph François Scheidweiler Michael Joseph François Scheidweiler (1 August 1799 – 24 September 1861) was a German-born professor of botany and taxonomist, whose main area of interest was the Cactaceae. From a collection by Henri Guillaume Galeotti, he first described '' ...

, it was a showcase for lavish hand-finished engravings and lithographs depicting and describing botanical curiosities and treasures from around the world. The work is remarkable for the level of colour-printing craftmanship displayed by the Belgian

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

s , , and . Stroobant printed many of the illustrations for the first 10 volumes. Most of the plants depicted in ''Flore des Serres'' were available for sale in van Houtte's nursery, so that in a sense the journal doubled as a catalogue. The editors were experienced botanical engravers and horticulturists, combining their knowledge and skills to create a showpiece of novel exotics and familiar cultivated plants. Lemaire came from being an engraver for

Pierre-Joseph Redouté Pierre-Joseph Redouté (, 10 July 1759 – 19 June 1840), was a painter and botanist from Belgium, known for his watercolours of roses, lilies and other flowers at the Château de Malmaison, many of which were published as large, coloured ...

's great works ''Les Liliacées'' and ''Les Roses''. Van Houtte, owner of the most successful nursery in Europe at that time, sent his own plant explorers to find unknown orchids and other exotics and bring them back to

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

for cultivation at his nursery and later publication in ''Flore des Serres''.

References

External links

*
Vols. 1–23 (1845–1880)
at

Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL operates as worldwide consortiumof natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries working toge ...

*
''Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe'', vol. 14 1859–1861
at Internet Archive Botany journals Defunct magazines published in Belgium French-language magazines Horticultural magazines Magazines established in 1845 Magazines disestablished in 1888 Magazines published in Brussels {{Europe-sci-mag-stub