E. Charles Nelson

Trees and Shrubs Cultivated in Ireland

David J. Elliott

In 1712, English naturalist Mark Catesby (1683–1749) crossed the Atlantic to Virginia. After a seven-year stay, he returned to England with paintings of plants and animals he had studied. They sufficiently impressed other naturalists that in 1722 several Fellows of the Royal Society sponsored his return to North America. There Catesby cataloged the flora and fauna of the Carolinas and the Bahamas by gathering seeds and specimens, compiling notes, and making watercolor sketches. Going home to England after five years, he began the twenty-year task of writing, etching, and publishing his monumental The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands. Mark Catesby was a man of exceptional courage and determination combined with insatiable curiosity and multiple talents. Nevertheless no portrait of him is known. The international contributors to this volume review Catesby’s biography alongside the historical and scientific significance of his work. Ultimately, this lavishly illustrated volume advances knowledge of Catesby’s explorations, collections, artwork, and publications in order to reassess his importance within the pantheon of early naturalists.

A "Truly Ingenious" Naturalist Explores New Worlds

The Curious Mister Catesby

Wendy Walsh

Ruth Isabel Ross

Wendy Walsh, following in the traditions of botanical artists from previous ages, has put her exceptional skills to marvellous effect in this beautiful collection of watercolour drawings. She has painted here a selection of the native and cultivated flora of Ireland, where she lives, chosen not only for their botanical interest or attractiveness but also because they happen to have an interesting history: Ireland has produced a surprising number of devoted and intrepid plant-hunters who played a significant part in the introduction into Europe of plants from remote places. Ruth Isabel Ross recounts the history of plant collecting and horticulture by the Irish since earliest times, and Dr Charles Nelson has written extensive notes on the individual plants. The main attraction of this book, however, remains the delicate and subtle watercolour drawings of Wendy Walsh, who works only from nature, painting the actual plants which are her subjects.

Wild and Garden Plants of Ireland

An Irish Florilegium

Hardy Heathers is afully illustratedmonograph thatdescribes all Calluna,Daboecia and thoseErica species that grownaturally in thenorthern hemisphere.Distribution, history,conservation, classification and cultivation arecovered in detail, making this an indispensable book for the heather enthusiast, professional nurseryman,landscape architect, gardener, botanist, ecologist andconservationist with interests in heaths and heath lands. The close collaboration between the author and the renowned botanical artist Christabel King make this book an outstanding contribution to the artof botanical illustration.

Calluna, Daboecia, Erica

Hardy Heathers from the Northern Hemisphere

This exploration of the shamrock covers its history, its manifestations in literature, music and art, and its botany. The author emphasizes that although the shamrock is recognized as the badge of Ireland, not all Irish people agree as to the true plant (one of four species of clover, trifolium dubium).

Botany and History of an Irish Myth

Shamrock

Potato Blight in Ireland, 1845-1847, and the Role of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin

The Cause of the Calamity

Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe's Adventures Among Flowers of Burma, 1897-1921

Shadow Among Splendours

E. Charles Nelson

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