Coloured engravings of heaths; vol. 4 — A Reader’s Guide

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

Key Word: Ericas; Ericas -- Pictorial works Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Text sections 7

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #70072

This volume of H. C. Andrews's botanical work presents 72 hand-colored engravings of heaths, with Latin and English descriptions, dissections, and notes on cultivation. The text reveals Andrews's careful observation of floral structure and his candid assessments of species distinctness, offering insight into early 19th-century botanical illustration and taxonomy.

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THE APPROPRIATE SPECIFIC CHARACTER, FULL DESCRIPTION, NATIVE PLACE OF GROWTH, AND TIME OF FLOWERING OF EACH;

In Latin and English.

EACH FIGURE ACCOMPANIED BY ACCURATE DISSECTIONS OF THE SEVERAL PARTS (MAGNIFIED WHERE NECESSARY) UPON WHICH THE SPECIFIC DISTINCTION HAS BEEN FOUNDED,

BOTANICAL PAINTER, ENGRAVER, &c.

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, NO. 5, KNIGHTSBRIDGE.

_Printed by R. Taylor and Co. 38, Shoe Lane._

ERICA Andromedæflora, _alba_.

CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.

ERICA, antheris cristatis, inclusis: stylo sub-incluso: floribus axillaribus, declinatis: foliis ternatis.

CAULIS humilis, fruticosus, robustus, pedalis: rami numerosi, conferti.

FOLIA ternata, subulata, incurvata, robusta: petiolis longis adpressis.

FLORES axillares, sub-terminales, declinati, conferti: calyx magnus, lato-ovatus, albus: corolla ovata, crassa, alba: oris laciniis erectis.

GERMEN tiaræforme, villosum, ad basin nectariis melliferis instructum.

Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.

Floret a mense Martii ad Junium.

3. Antheræ et Pistillum, anthera una lente aucta.

4. Germen et Pistillum, stigmate lente aucto.

5. Germen lente auctum.

HEATH, with crested tips, within the blossom: shaft just within: flowers axillary, and bending down: leaves by threes.

STEM low, shrubby, and strong, a foot high: branches numerous, and crowded together.

LEAVES by threes, awl-shaped, incurved, and stout, with long footstalks pressed to the branches.

FLOWERS grow from the axillæ of the leaves, nearly terminal, hanging down, and crowded together: empalement large, broadly egg-shaped, and white: blossom ovate, thick, and white: segments of the border straight.

SEED-BUD turban-shaped, villose, and furnished at the base with honey-bearing nectaries.

Native of the Cape of Good Hope.

Flowers from March till June.

3. The Chives and Pointal, one tip magnified.

4. Seed-bud and Pointal, summit magnified.

5. Seed-bud magnified.

THIS white-flowered variety of the E. _Andromedæflora_, from its hardy, dwarf, and robust character, might almost be considered as a distinct species, did not the appearance and shape of the blossoms bear out the specific title too well to admit of any alteration. The flowers are slow in growth, and of a thickish and rather tough consistence. It is a hardy green-house shrub, and blossoms mostly during the spring season.

CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.

ERICA, antheris muticis, inclusis: floribus horizontaliter verticillatis.

CAULIS fruticosus, erectus, sesquipedalis, ramis simplicibus.

FOLIA sena, linearia, apice leviter incurvata, supra plana, subtus sulcata.

FLORES horizontaliter verticillati prope ramorum summitatem: corolla clavata, uncialis, oris laciniis patentibus.

GERMEN tiaræforme, sulcatum, ad basin nectariis melliferis instructum.

Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.

Floret a mense Junii ad Octobrem.

2. Stamina et Pistillum, antherâ unâ lente auctâ.

3. German et Pistillum, stigmate lente aucto.

HEATH, with beardless tips, within the blossom: flowers growing horizontally in whorls.

STEM shrubby, upright, a foot and half high: branches simple.

LEAVES by sixes, linear, slightly turned inward towards the end, flat on their upper surface, and furrowed beneath.

FLOWERS grow horizontally in whorls near the summit of the branches: blossom club-shaped, an inch long: segments of the border spreading.

SEED-BUD turban-shaped, furrowed, and furnished at the base with honey-bearing nectaries.

Native of the Cape of Good Hope.

Flowers from June till October.

2. Chives and Pointal, one tip magnified.

3. Seed-bud and Pointal, summit magnified.

THE flowers of the Erica _argentiflora_ are of a delicate transparent white, most difficult to imitate on a white ground. Our drawing was made from a plant in the summer of 1814 at the Hammersmith Nursery, where it flowered with abundance of light graceful blossoms, that continued successively from June till October. But the precise time of any of the Ericas flowering is quite indefinite. I have frequently seen many species in full bloom in one collection, and out of flower in others. Where they are indigenous, their periods of inflorescence are no doubt much more determinable than they can ever be in such a versatile clime as Britain, under different modes of culture.

ERICA aristata, _minor_.

CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.

ERICA, antheris muticis, inclusis: floribus quaternis, ampullaceis, viscosis: foliis ternis, confertis.

CAULIS erectus, fruticosus, pedalis et ultra: ramulis plerumque ternis, verticillatis.

FOLIA ternata, sub-trigona, supra plana; subtus sulco-exarata; margine pilis longis obsita.

FLORES quaterni, patentes: corolla basi inflata, apice attenuata, ima parte rubra, in media alba, summa saturate purpurea, glutinosissima et lucida: laciniis oris patentibus: calycis foliolis lanceolatis, barbatis, adpressis.

GERMEN columnæforme, sulcatum, ad basin nectariis melliferis instructum.

Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.

Floret a mense Junii in Octobrem.

1. Stamina et Pistillum, antherâ unâ lente auctâ.

2. Germen et Pistillum, stigmate lente aucto.

3. Flos varietas rubra.

4. Flos varietas subalbida.

HEATH, with beardless tips within the blossom: flowers grow by fours, are flask-shaped, and viscous: leaves by threes, crowded together.

STEM upright, shrubby, a foot or more high: branches grow mostly by threes, in whorls.

LEAVES by threes, nearly three-sided, flat on their upper surface, and deeply furrowed beneath; the margins are beset with long hairs.

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H. C. Andrews's Coloured Engravings of Heaths (vol. 4, 1805) combines precise botanical description with hand-colored illustration. Each entry pairs a Latin specific character and description with an English translation, followed by a reference plate showing dissected parts—often magnified. The work is organized by a systematic arrangement and an alphabetical index, reflecting the Linnaean classification Andrews followed.

Andrews's prose is notably candid. In the entry for Erica præstans, he admits the plant 'does not possess any prominent feature sufficient to distinguish it from many others,' and that its specific title is an 'appellation to which the plant has but little claim.' Such frankness, unusual in botanical writing of the period, gives the volume a distinctive voice.

Diction and Descriptive Precision

Andrews's English descriptions rely on a consistent, technical vocabulary. He uses terms like 'awl-shaped,' 'incurved,' 'turban-shaped,' and 'villose' to capture minute details. The descriptions are formulaic: stem height and habit, leaf arrangement and shape, flower position and color, and seed-bud structure. This regularity allows readers to compare species quickly. For Erica Andromedæflora, alba, he notes the 'blossom ovate, thick, and white' and the 'seed-bud turban-shaped, villose.' The repetition of 'turban-shaped' across multiple entries suggests a deliberate choice to describe the distinctive form of the ovary. Andrews also includes practical observations: the white-flowered variety is 'hardy, dwarf, and robust,' with flowers 'of a thickish and rather tough consistence.' Such remarks bridge scientific description and horticultural advice.

Voice and Candid Assessments

Andrews's authorial voice emerges most clearly in his evaluative comments. He does not hesitate to question taxonomic decisions. Of Erica præstans, he writes that the plant 'does not possess any prominent feature sufficient to distinguish it from many others' and that the name præstans is 'an appellation to which the plant has but little claim.' This critical stance is tempered by his acknowledgment of the genus's diversity: 'the numerous beautiful species of which this very extensive Genus is composed.' In the entry for Erica Andromedæflora, alba, he considers whether the white-flowered variety might be a distinct species, but concludes that 'the appearance and shape of the blossoms bear out the specific title too well to admit of any alteration.' These passages reveal a botanist engaged in active taxonomic reasoning, not merely recording facts.

Structure and the Role of Dissections

Each entry follows a rigid structure: specific character (in Latin and English), description, habitat, flowering time, and a reference key to the accompanying plate. The plates include magnified dissections of the 'chives and pointal' (stamens and pistil), the seed-bud, and the empalement (calyx). For Erica pumila, the reference lists a leaf, the empalement magnified, a chive magnified, and the seed-bud with summit magnified. This systematic approach ensures that the illustrations serve as verifiable evidence for the specific distinctions Andrews describes. The magnifications are crucial: they allow readers to see the 'crested tips' (antheræ cristatæ) or the 'beardless tips' (antheris imberbibus) that define species groups. The structure thus mirrors the Linnaean method, making the volume a practical tool for identification.

Setting and Cultivation Context

All species in this volume are 'Native of the Cape of Good Hope,' reflecting the early 19th-century influx of South African plants into European gardens. Andrews records flowering times in England: Erica Andromedæflora, alba flowers 'from March till June,' while Erica argentiflora blooms 'from June till November.' He notes cultivation details: the white-flowered variety is a 'hardy green-house shrub,' and Erica pumila was 'first raised at the Hibbertian collection in 1805, by Mr. Knight, with whom it has flowered this summer, for the first time in England.' These remarks place the work within a network of collectors and gardeners. Andrews also comments on growth habits: Erica pumila is 'a dwarf shrub, the large and small branches numerous, straddling,' and its figure shows 'the entire plant, just as we received it growing in a pot.' Such details ground the botanical descriptions in lived horticultural practice.

Andrews's volume rewards readers who attend to both the systematic descriptions and the candid asides. The interplay between Latin diagnosis and English commentary reveals a botanist navigating the tensions of classification. The engravings and dissections are not merely decorative but integral to the argument. For those interested in the history of botanical illustration or the cultivation of Cape heaths, this work offers a primary source that is at once scientific and personal.

I have spent evenings with Coloured Engravings of Heaths, its patient records of growth and classification, and found a quiet kinship with this Spalding's Official Baseball Guide - 1913 — Themes and Context. Both are ledgers of longing—one for floral perfection, the other for a season's clean innings. Each year, someone's careful hand counted what mattered, and the pages still hold that tender arithmetic.